Hoping You'd Say That
by Cumberbatch Critter
Summary: Magnus has a very serious question for Alec. His answer could affect them both, in more ways than just the obvious. Rated M just to be safe.
1. Declaration

**Hoping You'd Say That**

"You know, I never got to return the kiss," Magnus Bane stated nonchalantly, with the casual air of indifference that always accompanied his poker face.

"What?" Alec gasped, looking up from his book. He was reading something of the warlock's, some book that he hadn't caught the title of when he had picked it up. It was a magic book, teaching the practicing of warlock magic, and warlock magic intrigued the Shadowhunter.

"I _said_," the warlock stressed, "that I never got to return your kiss."

"I _heard_ you..." Alec responded, albeit under his breath, still looking a little bit stunned. "But, I was wondering why you brought it up so suddenly, that's all..." He looked back to the book, fidgeting a bit. It wasn't like it had been premeditated, Magnus' words. The warlock had been merely interested with the program on the T.V., playing idly with Alec's fingers. Alec didn't pay much attention, though, too engrossed in the book. Physical contact wasn't new, except when it involved lips. And that was the reason that Alec blanched.

That kiss... Alec had had a point to prove- to everyone else _and_ himself. Maybe he'd approached it in the wrong way, but did he have regrets? No... not until this moment. Magnus has been studiously ignoring what had happened. For the longest time, which happened to be two days, Alec had thought Magnus hadn't been too happy. For the simple reasons that one, he hadn't kissed him back, and two, he hadn't said a word about it. Alec had thought maybe Magnus had been embarrassed, but no, not Magnus. Now it was Alec's turn.

"Because I was waiting for you to bring it up, but you never did. And I've grown rather tired of waiting, Alexander."

Alec swallowed, trying to ignore the slight blockage in his throat. Something about the way his name fell off of Magnus' experienced tongue sent little shivers down his back. He stared down at the particular lesson in the book- how to perform invisibility spells. "Well, these would be useful," he murmured quietly, tracing his fingertips across the words. But Magnus still heard him. Magnus was always listening.

"Alec," was the only response, and suddenly the book was wrenched from Alec's hands. It hit the far wall with a low _tump_. Alec looked up to Magnus with wide eyes, finding cat-like ones peering into his. He pressed backwards into the soft plush of the couch, feeling the heat rush across his cheeks like a slap in the face.

"Magnus..." he murmured, and his voice came out sounding a little unsteady.

One of Magnus' hands found itself against Alec's cheek. Alec could feel his breathing starting to pick up, and he knew it was beyond any hope to think it wouldn' t be noticed. "You took off before I could get the chance to prove my feelings to you. You ran out like you had to go disinfect your tonsils, and by all rights, that should have been me, considering you were the one with his tongue halfway down my-"

"Magnus!" he choked, snapping his hand over the warlock's mouth. "I don't need to be lectured on how much tongue I use!" It just... slipped out.

The warlock only curled his fingers around Alec's, pulling his hand away from his mouth. "I prefer more."

Alec looked at him incredulously. "What?"

"More tongue. In the future."

"Who said I'd be kissing you again?" Alec shot back, only meaning to be teasing. But a shadow passed across the warlock's eyes and Alec knew he hadn't heard the joke beyond the words. "Oh, Magnus..."

Magnus only held up a hand, silencing Alec. "Tell me the truth, Alec. That kiss, what was it? Was it just something to show off? Was it your way of coming out of the closet? No," he said quickly as Alec opened his mouth to cut him off. "I'm serious. But, are you? Is it all some big joke to you? Or was it just adrenaline; a kiss to die upon. So, what was it, Alec? Am I being stupid or was it life or death or love?"

Alec stared at him a moment after. Of course Magnus spoke his mind. Of course he did. The fact that he'd been brooding in silence was a good enough reason to see that Magnus wasn't simply brushing it off. Alec took a deep breath before letting it out shakily, tightening his grip around his friend's fingers.

"Truthfully, I didn't know what I was doing until I'd done it." Seeing Magnus' look, he tacked on quickly, "It was just kind of the thing that felt right at the moment. So, yeah... it probably was adrenaline. But... I kissed you. Not Clary or Izzy or Simon, and not even Jace. It was you, Magnus, so..." He shrugged a bit, averting his gaze. "I don't go around kissing people I don't like, you know. Oh wait, no, that sounds bad. Umm..."

"Alec."

He looked back to Magnus, blinking again when those amber eyes filled his gaze. Funny, with Jace, Alec had been liable to trail after him even if he didn't recieve a second glance. But, with Magnus, Magnus was everywhere. Alec didn't have to follow him, because he was always there. Always there for _him_.

And then lips descended upon his, and Alec only had the moment to blink in surprise before he was kissing him back. The warlock's lips were gentle, although not hesitant, against his. It was very clear that he wanted to be doing this- very much. Alec returned the pressure, and although he knew he was playing straight into Magnus' predestined hand, he let his tongue rove around the edge of the warlock's perfect lips.

Magnus _was_ perfect. But, Alec reasoned, he had had eight hundred years to achieve that perfection. Eight hundred years to find the exact way to manuever your tongue so that sent little jolts through your partner's body. Eight hundred years to work past the shyness that kept your hands to yourself. Eight hundred years to find a partner, but yet, here Magnus was, pushing Alec down on the couch. After eight hundred years.

All of this probably only took two or three minutes, but it felt to Alec as if it had been eight hundred years since he took his last breath. So when Magnus pulled his lips away, they were both breathing heavily, Alec moreso. He had the sneaking suspicion that the warlock had put some spell on himself for him to hold his breath longer- he'd read something about that in that book. Warlocks...

Magnus was practically straddling Alec now, knees on either side of his thighs. How he managed to stay on the cluttered couch while Alec was taking up most of the space, he didn't know. Alec himself shifted a little uncomfortably; his neck was propped back against the arm rest, making a small point of pain gather there.

But, it was the least of his worries as Magnus stared down at him with smoldering eyes. "How are you feeling?" he questioned huskily, and Alec exhaled with a rush.

"That's like asking a dog if he knows how to bark," he retorted breathlessly, shifting his position again. The couch just wasn't comfortable, with all the pillows and blankets strewn atop. It was lumpy, at best. But, then he stopped abruptly, breath hitching. His leg had brushed against Magnus' groin, and to Alec it became quickly obvious that even eight hundred years couldn't help your bodily reactions.

"Woof," was the only cocky reply as Magnus full blown grinned down at him.

"You have no shame," Alec replied, but came to a gasping halt when something brushed upon his own erection.

"Neither do you, huh?"

"S-Shut up..."

The ghost of a laugh reached Alec's ears, and indignantly, the Lightwood brother moved to put his knee into his companion's stomach. But, Magnus was waiting.

"Feisty." What Magnus had forgotten was that they were precariously perched on the small couch. And when he shifted sideways to avoid Alec's knee, the motion sent him toppling onto the floor. Alec had the half second to laugh at him before he was being dragged down, too.

There was the short moment of falling before he landed upon Magnus' muscled stomach. Arms snaked around his back, as Alec, sighing quietly, dropped his chin onto the warlock's chest to look at him. He recieved an easy smile in return, while the arms around him tightened. Alec didn't really mind; it made him feel not trapped, but sheltered.

"Love..." he murmured, laying his head flat on Magnus' chest, listening to his quickly beating heart.

"What's that?" The warlock's voice was lazy, but Alec caught the tiniest hint of something else as he felt fingers being drawn through his hair.

"You asked me... if it was jokes or adrenaline or love..."

"Oh... Oh!" Magnus was still below him, and Alec tried to look at him, but his bangs were in his eyes. But, then the warlock laughed, and Alec squirmed a bit when Magnus kissed the top of his head. "I was really hoping you'd say that."

**Maybe I made Alec too squirmy and Magnus too downhearted, but I'm happy with the way it turned out. I planned this to just be a one shot, but I think I'll keep it going... Malec is so cute to write. It's worth mentioning that this is set after the end of Glass.**

**Lemme know what you think?**


	2. Degeneration

The glow of light brought Alec out of his slumber. He couldn't recall falling asleep, but he didn't mind. He was comfortable and warm, and that's all that mattered to him. In fact, he was seriously considering going back to sleep when something tickled his nose. The resulting sneeze caused the tickling sensation across his face and he opened his eyes irritably, finding a cascade of glitter floating through the air. Glitter...

With a jolt, Alec realized the last thing he remembered was being with Magnus. He sat up rather abruptly, looking around the wildly coloured bedroom. No, this was _not_ his own room.

Swearing, he scrambled to disentangle himself from the canary-yellow sheet, panic being replaced with dread. Earlier, it had been around sunset, and now it was bright out again as sunlight was trickling through the edges of the curtains. He was getting the terrible, sinking feeling that he'd-

"Good morning, Rover."

Alec jumped; he had totally missed the fact that Magnus was laying next to him, his hands folded neatly behind his head. Cat-like eyes regarded him with the slightest touch of humour. He looked so calm, despite how Alec was panicking on the inside.

"What time is it?" Alec responded, squinting towards the far side of the room where he knew a clock hung.

"Just past 8:00."

"A.M.?" he asked incredulously.

"No, it's just nighttime and the sun is out. The world changed while you slept, Alec."

Alec groaned, smacking his forehead with the palm of his hand. Everyone back at home would be awake by now. Jace was usually up early enough to catch the sunrise, and Izzy would have been sleepless with worry about him, thanks to the fact that he'd never gone home.

"Can I interest you in some breakfast? On the menu today, we have fried bat wings with a side of cow eyes."

"I'm glad you're so cheerful," Alec muttered, standing up. Admittingly, he'd slept far better than he had in some time. Or maybe it had just been different since he'd been sleeping with Magnus. "And... how did I end up in your bed?" he asked as he stretched his arms above his head.

"That should have been your first question, followed by 'what did we do last night?'," Magnus responded, but his tone was distracted. Alec glanced over his shoulder to find the warlock staring at backside, and he self-consciously realized his shirt had risen up when he stretched. Huffing, he settled the fabric down over the waistband of his pants again. Magnus only smiled.

"I don't need to ask the second one. I know you wouldn't do anything."

Magnus arched an eyebrow, perfectly capturing the cocky look. "Oh really? Are you sure?"

"I'm sure," Alec responded, although, suddenly, he wasn't sure at all.

"Huh. Well, to answer your question, you fell asleep laying on the floor out there, so I brought you in here. Figured you might get a stiff neck or something."

"Ah... Thank you, then," Alec allowed, striding across the room to the adjoined bathroom.

"Hey, I got you a toothbrush! I got kinda bummed out on you sharing mine all the time. Shadowhunter germs and all, you understand."

Alec rolled his eyes. "But yet, you like 'more tongue'," he quoted sarcastically, closing the door behind him. Some part of him had burned away the panic and dread of returning home, and was busy feeling giddy. He had his own toothbrush at Magnus' house... A laugh bubbled from his lips as he picked it up and gave it a once over, pleased to find it wasn't a cheap one that tore your gums up.

Alec rather liked Magnus' toothpaste. Magnus used to use some kind of mint flavour, but quickly stopped- Alec wouldn't even catch his breath when he did. He didn't like anything with that sterile mint smell; it burned his nostrils. Now the toothpaste was different, in an unmarked tube (of which Alec _should _have been suspicious about) and smelling a bit like citrus. It was nice, because after brushing, it felt like he'd bit into an orange.

He was experiencing that refreshed feeling now as he slipped the toothbrush back into the slot. He ran his hands under the cold water, splashing some of it up into his face. He was still flushed and his face a little hot, and he wanted a calm disposition to go back home with.

Walking out of the bathroom was like walking into a dust cloud, only these particles glimmered. Coughing, he reeled back into the doorway. "What's with the random cloudbursts of glitter?" he muttered crossly, waving the shimmery pieces away.

"Sorry, babe. I was moving some blankets earlier and I found a whole bunch of glitter in bed with us. I'm shaking them out."

So, that had been what had woken him up. Alec stared at the increasing glitter collecting on the floor, feeling a little bit sick. He'd slept in _that_. "Well, I need to go."

"Leaving? I haven't even fixed my hair yet, I think that's hardly fair to judge so soon. I know I don't look so great in the morning, but geez." Magnus was looking at him now, his slender fingers still clutching at the blanket.

"No, I need to go home, Magnus."

"Hold that thought," the warlock stated, turning on his foot. "Nature calls."

Alec snorted, walking to the window and pulling back one of the curtains. He couldn't believe he'd just spent the night at Magnus'. What would Jace say? And Izzy? And his _parents_? Magnus has been all perfect gentlemen when he'd introduced him to his parents, but even this, Alec didn't think they'd go for. Because it just pointed to _all_ the wrong signs and it really hadn't been like that.

Moments later, the bathroom door swung open and there was Magnus, looking all prim and proper- and only in boxers.

Alec, who'd been in the middle of swallowing back the nervous lump in his throat, took one look at Magnus and managed to choke on his own saliva. There was a quiet snap and the feeling left him, only being replaced with a slight weakness and radiating embarrassment.

"Wow. Here I was, thinking I was the highlight of your existance, and look, I'm killing you."

"N-Not funny, Bane," he muttered, fixing the curtain and then moving away from the window. "So not funny."

Magnus gave a noncommental grunt, walking past him towards his closet.

"I've managed to nearly choke myself here, and now I'm going to go home and get throttled..." Alec trailed off, shaking his head a bit.

"What if I don't let you?"

There was a sudden rush of movement behind his ears and Alec half-turned, but didn't get to complete the twist before he was slammed roughly back against the wall. A low gasp slipped through his lips before Magnus' lips were upon his, strong and willful. There was a lot of the same quality of their kiss last night, only this time, Magnus wasn't giving Alec a chance to react.

Alec's lungs were screaming for air when Magnus broke the kiss; the Shadowhunter took in a deep, shaking breath that quickly turned into another gasp as Magnus' lips were at his neck. Moving with an intense fierceness, they brushed over Alec's skin, drawing forth goosebumps where they touched. His heart was pounding rapidly and he knew Magnus could feel it when those lips stopped on the vein pulsing in his neck. There was a sudden cold, wet sensation there followed by a jolt of pain, one that caused a low moan to slip through Alec's lips.

"M-Magnus..."

"Yes, Alexander?"

He only responded by burying his hands into the warlock's newly prepared spikes. He could imagine the smile that had to be on Magnus' lips, and then they happened to get busy again on Alec's neck. Alec tugged on Magnus' hair- hard, pulling his face back to eye level with him. He pressed his lips against Magnus' quickly. He told himself he was only doing it so he didn't have a very noticable hickey.

Of course that wasn't the reason.

Magnus' cool hands found Alec's face, and when their tongues brushed, a small little shiver of anticipation went through Alec. He was supposed to be going home, a small voice protested, but, as if on accord, one of Magnus' hands dropped and snaked around Alec's back, drawing him closer. They were chest-to-chest now, and he could even feel the warlock's own pounding heartbeat through his shirt.

There was a sudden, sharp, stinging pain and the taste of blood filled his mouth. He jerked his head backwards; it hit the wall with a low thud as he realized it had only been Magnus who had bitten his lip, albeit a little hard. The warlock only stared at him, his lips bright with Alec's own blood, and a smile upon them. "Are you still sure I won't do anything, Lightwood?"

Alec wiped blood away from his lip, running his own tongue over it. "You wouldn't dare..." he whispered, although his words came out unsure, sounding that way through breathlessness and, maybe, just a little bit of fear.

"Wouldn't I?" A cat-like smile matched the cat-like eyes staring down at him, and suddenly, Alec felt anything but safe.

**After Alexander has stated, Magnus has had 800 years... 800 years to lose his patience. Has he really snapped? Horny Magnus is horny, so can we say RAAAAAEEEEPPPP? Or does he merely have a point to prove... Pardon my ramblings, of course, I have a game plan for Chapter 3. This was just kind of fluff and smutty things.**


	3. Disillusion

"Wouldn't I, Alexander?" Magnus purred again, grinning his cat-like smile. It seemed to be a smirk that stated not only _I'm the cat who got the cream _as well as _I have my birthday cake, and I'm damn well going to eat it, too. _

"Y-You, a-ah..." His thoughts left him when he felt warm, smooth hands gliding under his shirt. Those fingers surfed along his stomach, sending shudders rippling through his body. Back down they went, catching the edge of his shirt, and Alec was powerless to stop it from falling to the floor. He reached out a hand blindly, tracing his own fingers along the unmarked stomach of the warlock. He just wanted to touch him. It was hardly fair that only Magnus was doing the touching.

Alec's fingers trailed up, up to one of Magnus' perfectly defined nipples. He rolled it between his fingers experimentally, and a low groan that wasn't his own split the air. It was like electricity- a shock to his system, but left him craving for more. That groan was just proof that Magnus could be shoved towards the edge and Alec found that he desperately wanted him to go off.

He was forced back into a rough and sloppy kiss, his fingers still working needily on the bud. His free hand snaked up to trace little patterns on Magnus' warm chest, as if he were drawing runes along his skin. What runes would be drawing, except _love,_ and _need_, and _ecstasy_, and _sex..._

A shaking groan was exhaled into Magnus' needy mouth when the warlock snaked a hand around back, pressing him closer, and they were groin-to-groin. Alec ground his hips against him, again, only experimentally, and it was like touching live wires- touching live wires with wet hands.

"Touch me, Alec..." Magnus breathed, and the words shimmered a little bit, not unlike the glitter he so often wore. "Your fingers... are magical..." Magnus bent down and delivered a love bite onto Alec's right nipple. The latter let out a shriek, his fingernails digging deep into Magnus' back.

"M-Magnus...Oh..." His words fell on deaf ears, and part of him was glad Magnus didn't get distracted, because the way that the warlock's tongue worked around his erect nipple was yet another form of magic. A snap of the fingers could not substitute _anything_ for this.

A warm, wet trail of kisses was meandering down his stomach now. The only things that kept him standing was the wall behind his shoulders, Magnus' hand on the small of his back, and his own arms around Magnus' shoulders, because his legs had gone to mush all in the past few minutes. He trailed his fingers down Magnus' sides, relishing in the way his toned skin rippled. His fingers curled around the elastic waistband of the warlock's boxers, probbing into his deliciously warm skin. But, he didn't pull them off, despite his mental thoughts battering his brain, for only one reason.

"D-Damn you, Shadowhunter," Magnus huffed. "If you don't hurry up, I'm-"

A metallic shriek cut the air and they both froze. Alec could have sworn he felt his heart stop, and even Magnus seemed a little paler under the pink flush on his cheeks. After a moment, Alec realized it wasn't shrieking at all, but music blaring from Magnus' cell phone that was dropped on the dresser not five feet away. He let out a shaking sigh, looking off to the side. Magnus uttered a growl under his breath, snapping his fingers, and the ringing cut off.

"Yes?"

"Magnus Bane!" A familiar voice burst through the speaker phone, and Alec hastily pushed Magnus away as though they could be seen. "Is Alec there with you?"

"Y-Yeah, I'm here, Izzy!" he stuttered, trying to regain his breath without being awfully loud about it.

"Alexander Lightwood! I was _so_ worried about you! You said you were going to Pandemonium because of the readings we got, and you left your cell phone here, and then I fell asleep last night and you still weren't home this morning-"

"Izzy, Isabelle, I'm all right, really I am..." Alec caught Magnus' gaze for a moment, and the look he received sent shivers down his spine again. He was all right... He'd been nearly denuded and willingly fucked in the ass, but he was all right, if only just.

"But, what happened? Did something happen at the club? I knew I should have gone with you."

"No, Izzy..." He rubbed his face wearily, as if abruptly exhausted. "Everything went fine with the demon. I came to Magnus' because I wanted to, not because I was hurt." He was receiving a look from Magnus, reading his lips as he said _You went to Pandemonium and didn't tell me?_ Alec pressed his hand over the reciever and shot back: "I didn't need to. I was fine."

"So, you... spent the night at Magnus'..." The way she said it, as if something was quietly dawning on her, caused the heat to rush his face once again. "Oh! Um, sorry to bother you, Alec. And Magnus. I'm going to, uh, see you later!"

"Izzy!" he called, but the steady beeping of a dead line met his ears. "By the Angel, I am so screwed."

"You, and your _parabatai_, both have the knack of choosing the wrong words to say," was all Magnus responded with.

There had been a particular air about the way that Alec moved when he left Magnus' house. His movements had been nervous, and quick, like a rabbit stuck in a cage. Magnus decided that he liked it very much when Alec was trapped. He'd figured that out very quickly when he had pushed him back against the wall.

Asides from the fact that Magnus knew he had been about to do something that would have hurt Alec, he was trying not to think about it. Instead, he had let his mind wrap around the fact that Alec had been to Pandemonium before he had come to his house. Magnus had wondered a little bit about why Alec had smelled like he'd rolled in something disgusting when he walked in, but had quickly let it pass. He'd been burning incense anyway- which he had had to put out, because Alec got all teary-eyed from coughing so much. Well, _he_ didn't think it had been that strong.

Call him an overprotective old bastard, but he hated it when Alec went off into battles that he didn't know about. He had good reason to- he had, on several occasions, saved his boyfriend's life. Ever since that day that he'd watched Alec fighting with that damned bug demon and he'd had to watch him topple into the East River lifelessly, outlooks on battle were different. He knew Alec hated it when Magnus tagged along on missions, instead of Isabelle or Jace, but Alec almost never noticed when Magnus put protection wards on him.

Besides that fact, Magnus liked going out in public with his boyfriend. He liked it very much. He would like kissing his boyfriend in public, if only Alec wasn't so uptight about their relationship. Magnus could understand it... only a little bit. But, you only had one life to live, so why sulk in the shadows and blend in with the surroundings? He sure didn't. Blending in, acting normal... Why try to fit in with the masses? It would never get you recognized in the short time you had to live, if you only sat by and watched.

Of course, Magnus didn't have a short time to live. He had a long, _long_ time. He'd been on this earth for eight hundred years, and as long as a battle didn't go bad, he'd keep his head about him and live for four times that amount. Probably more.

Immortality had become a thing he'd been thinking about. Alec was aging. He wasn't. Magnus didn't doubt himself- even if Alec was on his death bed at one hundred, he'd still love him. But, he knew Alec worried about it. And really, it would become a problem later on in life. He really didn't want to think about it, he didn't. He just couldn't deny what was happening.

Maybe, just a part of him was, though, denying the fact that was obvious. That he wasn't aging. He'd told Alec to _"embrace your weird side" _because you only got to flaunt it for a short time. Magnus flaunted his weird side everyday, and he had been, for a long time. He would continue to in the future. But, who was he kidding? Maybe he was just disillusioning himself.

But, he thought as he snapped his fingers, appearing all geared up and ready for a night of partying, the solution to his doubts was to live in the moment.

**Some more smutty goodness... and then a little bit in Magnus' POV. Alec has to face up to Izzy and Jace in the next chapter.**

**P.S. Reviews from all the people following this story would make me smile. And give me encouragment to write. :) **


	4. Dissatisfaction

Alec strode quickly through the quiet halls of the Institute, his hands in his pockets and his destination clear. All he wanted to do was get back to his bedroom and find a change of clothes, and then lock himself up in the bathroom for a well-deserved shower.

As if it were ever that easy.

Church announced his arrival with a loud caterwauling, and even as the cat yowled, no one came to investigate. Sighing a breath of relief, Alec turned around the corner and left the cat behind.

"Oh, hey, Alec." A voice situated somewhere below him made him jump, and he looked down to see Jace sitting with his back against the wall, a book in hand. It wasn't any kind of novel, Alec could see, more of a notebook, but before he could ask, Jace went on. "Let's see..." he glanced mockingly towards his watch, "seventeen hours to exorcise a demon. That's a new personal record. I hope it went well."

He huffed. "I didn't take seventeen hours at Pandemonium. I was elsewhere."

Jace arched a golden eyebrow, and Alec watched as his brother-in-arm's eyes slid down his frame. "You're in the same clothes from yesterday. Did you spend the night with Magnus, then?" A wide grin spread across his face, and Alec was quite sure that he didn't need to answer that question. Accordingly, Jace continued with a "Congratulations. I hated to see you mourning over losing me." The blonde was then standing, and Alec staggered slightly at being slapped on the back.

"Mourning, my ass. Besides," Alec muttered, fixing his shirt, "there's nothing to congratulate me on. You've got the wrong idea. I can see it in your eyes, Jace."

He only responded with a "Am I?", laughing quietly before he walked away. Alec stared after him, a bit suspiciously. What was with that twinkle in Jace's eyes? Was he just out to torment him now? Indignantly, Alec continued on his way to his room. He knew that Jace knew that he hadn't had sex with Magnus, although something about the way Wayland smiled put him on edge.

Alec slipped into his room, grateful that at least Izzy didn't seem to be around. Or maybe she was, but he wasn't looking. He pulled open a dresser drawer, smiling to himself as he picked out a familiar, old shirt. It was navy blue, the sleeves had little frays near the cuffs, and there was a small hole near the hem. It was exactly the type of thing that Magnus would cringe at, but Alec preferred _weathered_ to _new_.

Then, he grabbed a pair of jeans off of the chair, heading to the bathroom.

All he needed was a hot shower, and then he could think about going back to curl up in bed. Maybe he had only gotten up, but really... They all deserved a lazy day, didn't they?

Alec closed the door behind him quietly, breathing a soft sigh when he latched it. No nagging, no worrying, no being confronted. Peace at last. No more than he thought it had a screech broke the air.

"Jace Wayland! Give me back my sketchbook!" If the tone of voice didn't state whom it was who'd gone erractic, the sketchbook part did. None of their family really had the talent for art, or at least, didn't pursue it. Now it made sense to Alec just what Jace had had in his hands; he'd stolen Clary's notebook.

But he didn't want to think of Clary and Jace. They're overall picture made him vomit a little in the back of his throat. Maybe he was wrong for judging without seeing, but Isabelle was always muttering about how she walked in on the couple with their tongues deep in the other's mouth. Jace had been right when he'd said Alec had loved him because he was safe- there was no liability, no vunerability, no danger in him, because Jace wouldn't hurt him in a way a stranger would. Once upon a time, Alec had dreamed about kissing Jace as Clary did. Now it made him sick to his stomach, because he'd realized he'd never really loved Jace at all.

Everything revolved around Magnus now, every single little thing. And it was pathetic, and Jace was probably gagging at him behind his back, but it didn't matter. What Alec felt towards Magnus... there was an attraction he couldn't explain. Instead of Magnus the Magnificent, Alec was contemplating whether or not to call him Magnus the Magnetic. Never to his face, of course.

With the hot water running, steam had begun to collect, so Alec shed his wrinkled clothes in favor for a warmer suit. Glitter cascaded off his shoulders and to the floor when he ran his fingers through his hair. He was immediately mortified- Jace hadn't said a thing about all of the sparkles. If he got the idea that something weird had happened with the glitter...

Shuddering, Alec propelled himself under the hot water without trying to think too much. Thinking too much got him in trouble. Thinking too much usually involved him thinking about himself... always aging, always changing.

Magnus wasn't going to age; he was a warlock, and it would never happen. He would have to die to escape his young (looking) body. Alec didn't like that option, but how could he stand and watch himself grow old while Magnus never changed? Alec had never considered himself a particularly weak person, but just thinking about it brought a clawing pain to his chest. It made his heart ache and his eyes sting. He had the feeling that he would be torturing Magnus, and he knew that if it were reversed, he'd feel wretched to just watch his partner waste away.

But, what could he do? Leave Magnus alone? Forget all they now knew? It was improbable. Not only that, it was _impossible_. Life without Magnus felt as if it would be like breathing with no air, like living with no pulse. Going back to the weak statement, he didn't think he was weak, no, but... Could anyone really stand anything like that?

Brushing his bangs out of his eyes, he looked down at his hands. They were ghostly pale under the light of the bathroom; old faded marks still bore onto his skin. Water was slipping off of them haphazardly, bouncing off and dripping onto the porcelain below. A life without Magnus... he curled his hands into fists.

He would call it pathetic, his and Magnus' relationship. Maybe it was simply one sided. If he thought about losing Magnus, or if Magnus wasn't around... All Alec could say was that, loneliness... It made your heart ache awfully bad.

**-Bows- I'm so sorry! I had a ton of computer problems, I got sick, and then my internet went out... but everything's all right again for now. This chapter's a bit short, but I couldn't include the next part or it'd get entirerly long. Sorry for the lack of action, but it's insight to Alec's mind, and I like vunerable Alec. :) Hope you enjoyed, and sorry for the wait.**


	5. Dangerous

Parties felt strange to Magnus when he tried to mingle past the thoughts in his head. One wrong word and he'd be slipping Alec's name into the discussion about mundies he was having with the nice little lady who'd stumbled upon him.

"They're so incredibly dim. Just yesterday, my glamour slipped when this cute, clumsy thing walked past me, and he only blinked and did a double take! Of course, by that time, I'd fixed the error, but he just moved on down the road. Do mundies always try to think that the supernatural doesn't exist, because we do, and not that I'd break the Law by marrying one, playing around with one is always nice, though, but, the point is, it really hurts when they don't acknowledge who you are!"

Magnus blinked in stupefication, looking down at the little blonde. She'd gone off on a tangent that he wasn't sure how she'd gotten into, until he noticed she was holding a brightly coloured drink in her hand. He hadn't recalled anyone offering them drinks, but he had one, too, a type of drink with a crystalline surface.

"Well, mundies can be pretty stupid. Why bother with them when all you need is right here?" He gestured airily to the room; it was filled wall to wall with Downworlders of all kinds. "Cross-breeding, it's a bad idea, love," he mused absently.

The girl only sighed, swishing the liquid in her glass idly. "Yeah, maybe so. But, a thrill's a thrill for a reason, right?" She sounded normal again, only a little forlorn now. Magnus realized she hadn't touched the liquid in her champagne glass after all, but she was merely one of those girls. People who talked too much... Rolling his eyes to himself, he turned to walk away.

"Oooh, what is that you're drinking? It's eye-catching."

Magnus looked to his glimmering, clear concoction and shrugged. "I don't know. You want to find out?" He flashed her a a little grin, watching her reaction.

"It's like liquid diamonds!"

"Does that mean that you'd like it?" he mused with humour, offering the drink to her.

"Naturally." She took it, drinking it down without pausing to inspect it first. Really, what was the point? It only looked like diamonds, and it wasn't to look at anyway...

The woman made the strangest noise just then, and his attention was back on her- and he immediately took three steps back.

The glass in her hand hit the floor before her hands flew to her throat- her skin was bubbling grotesquely, red seeping through invisible pores that got larger and larger, until they ate away the traces of all the flesh. Magnus spat a curse under his breath, blue sparks flaring up at his fingertips. But even as he took a step forward, red had flared up around the woman's neck, spewing onto the floor. There was a _thump_, and it was clear why- the woman's head had slipped clean off, dropping onto the floor.

An uncharacteristic wave of nasuea rushed over Magnus. He had seen so much in eight hundred years, but this was moreso disturbing than usual. It was like she had consumed acid, and it had merely ate her throat out. Maybe that would not have been so bad, had the corrosion not continued. But it was going, despite the fact that the woman was obviously dead. The bubbling skin motion, the bursting blood bubbles... Magnus was watching the woman's face, and the punched-in-the-stomach feeling hit him again when the woman's eyes bubbled and burst into two small geysers of blood.

The last time he'd tasted bile in the back of his throat was when he'd thought he'd lost Alec. That hadn't been for the same reason he was hurrying away from the screaming, scrambling scene, a hand pressed firmly over his mouth. It wasn't even really the gore that had him outside in moments, drawing in quick, deep breaths of cool morning air through his nose. Gore he could handle. The thing that really perturbed him the most...

... was that he had been about to drink that himself.

xXxXxXx

Alec had been starting to feel a little dizzy from the heat when he'd finally turned the water off. It was now just past nine, he saw, before he looked into the mirror. Water was dripping off his hair and he looked a little more pale than usual, but, shrugging, he only grabbed his towel to dry off.

After pulling on his clothes, he headed back into the hallway. Now if he could find himself some breakfast and then retreat to his room or the library, the rest of the day would go just fine.

He heard Church's meowing before he heard the footsteps. Glancing over his shoulder, the form of a woman came into view, and moments later, he realized it was his Mother.

"Alec."

Immediately he sensed that Maryse was not in a cheerful mood. Glad that he had at least put off this meeting until he had changed clothes, he turned. "What's up?"

"Robert and I are both home today... The Clave doesn't need us today, or maybe they're just giving us a break, but we figured we'd sit down to have a family dinner tonight. Jace invited Clary, or Clary invited herself," at this, Maryse frowned a bit, "and we'd like for you to invite your-" She stopped, the frown deepening. "Magnus. Invite Magnus, if you would."

Even before she'd finished her sentence, Alec'd felt his stomach drop to the floor. Not just to the floor, but through the floor, and it felt like he was standing on nothing. If he took a step, he'd surely fall.

Maryse wasn't waiting on an answer- she'd already passed by him and was hurrying down the hall. She didn't even like Magnus, or at least, not their relationship, so why invite him to dinner? Just to torture him? He opened his mouth to say something, but his mother had already vanished around the corner and was heading, presumably, for the kitchen.

Feeling abruptly sick to his stomach, he turned and headed for his bedroom. Inviting Magnus to his house, for dinner, with his family... it was like a twisted version of meet the parents. Twisted to Alec, at least. Magnus was sure to get a big laugh out of it.

Speaking of, Jace had had to know about this. That was why he had been smiling at him, with that mysterious laughter in his eyes. Alec felt even sicker.

He slammed his bedroom door behind him, throwing himself onto the bed. He already had his cell out and had punched in the familiar number, pressing it to his ear after a quiet moment. But the tone in his ear rung and rung, ending with a "We're sorry, the party you are trying to reach is currently unavailable. Please hang up and try your call again." Frowning, Alec punched the redial. Magnus didn't just _not_ answer.

This time he picked up on the second ring. "Hey Alec, right now isn't a good time." Alec frowned. For one, Magnus always had time to talk to him. He said he'd always find time. And secondly, Magnus sounded a little... off.

"What's happening?"

"Fleeing the country, you know, the usual."

"Magnus! You'd better not be fleeing. My parents expect you at dinner tonight."

"Well, as much as I'd like-" The noise on the other end of the line stopped abruptly. "Dinner?"

"Yes, dinner!" Alec snapped, pressing the heels of his hands into his eyes. He felt tired, and a little bit annoyed. He then sighed, opening his mouth to utter an apology, but Magnus beat him to words.

"...I'm at Taki's. Meet me there. Don't forget your seraph."

And then he had hung up, and Alec pulled the phone away from his ear, getting a slow sinking feeling settling in his chest.

**I'm a little ahead, and my last update was slow, so I decided to post this now. It's not all just romance and fluff anymore, folks. (Although, trust me, THAT's coming soon. ;D)**

**P.S. Sorry for the 'break' between POVs being the X crap. All the symbols I want to do, they get deleted, and I can't get a normal space, and I don't want to use the break line. xD**


	6. Delirious

**My reviewers! D: What happened to you? I have my regulars, but what happened? Where are you? xD Just making sure you're still there. Onwards.**

Magnus was leaning against a nearby tree when Alec got to Taki's. Needless to say, Alec had taken off out the door without so much of an explanation to his parents or friends. Everything about his call to Magnus had gotten him nervous and worried, and he wasn't about to tell Magnus no when he sounded a little strange. Magnus never sounded strange... well, stranger than what was the norm.

"What's going on? Why did I need to rush down here? And why did you insist on me bringing my- Magnus!" The warlock had grabbed his hand and proceeded to drag him away from Taki's front doors without so much as a comment. "Magnus, what the hell!" In the next moment, he was pushed backwards against the brick wall with enough force that left his back stinging, and lips crushed against his own.

He let out a muffled protest that he quickly bit back; there was something strange about the kiss. Magnus' lips were harsh and demanding, and the grip on Alec's shoulders was tense. He'd been right; something was wrong.

Magnus had pulled away, only the slightest bit, moments later. Alec's hands had found themselves tangled in the glitter-infused, spiked-up locks, and Magnus could only rest his forehead against his boyfriend's to avoid getting them tugged. Both of them were breathing heavily, but only Alec was blushing. They were both silent, for the longest time.

Eventually, Alec let his hands move to around Magnus' neck, breaking their frozen postures. "Magnus... what happened...?"

"Nothing... just the usual, someone tried to kill me."

Alec started, pushing Magnus backwards to look at him. "What?"

Cat-like eyes blinked, with a look of surprise that quickly vanished. "It happens all the time, Alec... Why do you look so shocked?"

"Well, why do you?"

"I do?"

"Don't screw with me!"

"I'd love to, actually, but... Seriously, Alec, the only thing I'm trying to _do_ is protect _you_."

**XoXoXoX**

They'd ended up in the park after that, talking quietly amongst themselves about everything that had happened. Magnus had said he wasn't passing it off as a mistake or a joke, and had done what he could business-wise, as he called it. He said that he was still going to mention it to Maryse and Robert tonight, if they hadn't found out already. He knew for sure it hadn't been a Nephilim who'd died, but otherwise he hadn't really noticed what species it had been. Magnus also warned Alec not to drink anything that he didn't know where it came from.

Somehow, they'd wasted the whole day talking. Alec knew he'd gone a little more obsessive than should have been necessary on the drink thing- Magnus had ended up changing the subject at one point. And then it was stupid stuff- Magnus wanted to know what Maryse was making for dinner. Alec had said he didn't know. Magnus had suggested lasagna. Alec had said that if he wanted lasagna, he could call his mother and tell her himself. Magnus had pulled out his cell, and Alec had only slapped his wrist in disdain.

Then it had gone onto if Alec was going to come to Magnus' house tomorrow. And then, in the middle of that conversation, Magnus had noticed the frays on Alec's sleeves. That had been a whole new conversation, which concerned fashion, and it rolled into makeup, and Alec was becoming more and more scared of going _back_ to his boyfriend's house if all he was talking about was stuff like that.

After had come the quest for lunch. Alec'd refused to admit he was starving until his stomach seized a quiet moment to make its hunger known. Magnus had gone into a silent laughing fit- Alec could feel his partner's shoulders shaking as they lay side by side on the grass. The warlock had eventually picked up the phone and called for pizza, and didn't bat an eyelash when the delivery people showed up with confused looks on their faces to hand off the pizza in the middle of the park.

And everything else had been fleeting, little comments that they'd made on one thing or another. It was nearing seven o' clock now, and while Alec knew that they'd have to leave soon to go back to the Institute, he couldn't bring himself to pull his hand away from Magnus'. Not after everything that had happened today, all of the actions and the thoughts and the events.

"Alec?"

"Mmm?"

"Oh. I thought you'd fallen asleep."

"If only you'd be so lucky, huh?" he half-joked, opening his eyes. "Did you plan on sneaking away?"

The look on Magnus' face radiated pure mischief. "Sneak away? Why would I sneak away when you'd be lying here, completely defenseless?" From the tone of voice, and from the heat rushing to Alec's face, he knew Magnus had not been talking about any kind of demon attack. Not any kind of attack that required a seraph blade and stele, that was.

"Don't get cocky..." Alec glanced at his watch for the distraction. "We need to head home." Magnus only 'hmm'ed in response. Alec looked back at him. "What?"

"_We_ need to head _home_. Not 'I should probably take you back to my house for dinner now'."

Alec blinked. "Yeah, what of it?"

"You make it sound as if we're- living in the same household." Whatever Magnus had been about to say, he'd jumped track abruptly, and tacked the last bit on. Alec was instantly curious.

"What were you going to say?"

"Just what I said."

"Liar."

"Do you see my nose growing?"

"... What?"

"It's... a mundie story. Pinocchio? The doll-boy..." The warlock slowly trailed off, shaking his head. "Nevermind."

"I don't have any idea what you're talking about," Alec murmured, which was followed by a sigh. They really needed to head off, or there'd be hell to pay later. He squeezed Magnus' warm, slender fingers for a split second before pulling his hand away, standing.

"Are we heading off now?" Magnus questioned, looking up at Alec while still staying sprawled on the grass.

"We should... Oh, and Magnus?"

"Hm?"

"Snap your hair and face to normal."

Magnus seemed to wince. "Right." With a snap of his fingers, his hair had freed of the glitter and glowing highlights were gone, although the spikes remained. The eyeshadow, mascara, and glitter on his face all vanished, too, leaving, as Clary called him, looking _boring_. To Alec, Magnus was never boring.

"One more thing."

"What it is now, Alexander?"

"Behave, Bane."

The aforementioned only grinned, the smile lighting up his face with that mischievous glow again. "Oh, I will. I always do."

**Angsty Magnus, well, he can face immortaility without batting an eyelash, but when it comes to death, he wants to make sure that Alec knows he loves him. And then fluff! -Tardgrin- Well, I thought it was cute.**


	7. Dumbfounded

It was the first time he'd invited Magnus up to his room. He couldn't help but feel a little bit awkward when Magnus' eyes were scoping out every single, little detail. Everything. And when it got to a point where Magnus wrinkled his nose at something, Alec couldn't handle it.

"Stop _staring_!"

Magnus even jumped a bit. "What?"

"You're criticizing my room with your eyes," Alec retorted.

"I am not. I'm just looking."

"You wrinkled your nose."

"It's just... it's boring."

"Boring? Of course _you'd_ think it's boring," Alec murmured, sitting down on the bed. He liked his room... It had its own flair.

It did.

It really did.

... Fuck. It was boring.

"Well, there's not enough colour for one. Scratch out the earthy stuff, it just makes you look dull. You like blue." It wasn't a question. "So if we could get a nice navy for your walls..."

"Dark colours make a room seem smaller," Alec choked. "My room will seem like a closet."

"That would explain a lot." Mortified, and recognizing that tone of voice, Alec looked to the open doorway of his room. Jace was leaning on the frame, eyebrows raised. "I didn't know you were an interior decorator, Magnus," said the blonde.

Magnus only waved a hand dismissively. "I gave you my card once. Magnus the Magnificent. _Magnificent_ entitles quite a lot."

"So it would seem..." Jace replied, sounding amused. "Alec, I'd hate to bother you, but Maryse is asking for you. Something about dinner."

"Seriously?" Alec muttered, staring at Jace. "If you're screwing with me..."

"_Alec_, we've had this conversation once before, I'm _not_ into guys, unless it's myself, of course."

Magnus made a noise behind them, which was followed by a "Go ahead, Alec. I'll wait here." Alec turned to look at the warlock, who, with a creaking of springs, had sprawled out on Alec's bed like a lithe and lanky cat. As he took in the grin that Magnus was sending his way, Alec couldn't help but think about how out of place the warlock looked in his bedroom.

"I'll be back." When he walked out of his room, he made to pull the door shut after him. But, Jace was still standing in the doorway. "Uh, Jace? Could you possibly _move_." The blonde obliged slowly, backing up. "Seriously, go lurk in someone else's doorway, I don't need a babysitter...

XoXoXoX

Their voices had died out as they had continued down the hallway, and Magnus found himself quite alone in his boyfriend's bedroom. Despite himself, he was still grinning. It was simply the fact that he was _alone_ in his _boyfriend's bedroom_. He'd had a rough day, but coming to Alec's bedroom for the first time made up for it. Even if the room was boring and plain.

He could get something interesting going in this room, no matter how small how it was, if only Alec would let him. Navy for the walls, and some gray carpet just to downtone it a bit, perhaps, if Alec was worried about the colours. Or even maybe... The walls could be a cream colour, which wouldn't bring Alec too far out of his comfort zone. Then the windows, the closet, the door... It would all be outlined in a blue shade, preferably dark. It would make it pop a little more, at least.

Magnus only sighed, dropping his head back onto the bed. He'd change it all up within the blink of an eye, but Alec would kill him. Not that it wasn't extremely cute to see his boyfriend angry... but Alec could get scary. Considering that damn dinner was going to happen in not too long anyway, he didn't think it a good idea to antagonize.

Dinner with the family... He'd been overly glad when Alec had finally introduced him to his parents, but dinner with the family? It was so cliché. Couldn't it just be dinner with Alec? That would be much better. He had to, as Alec had put it, _behave _himself when he was around Alec's family. It was irritating, but he'd suffer the unpleasantries. For now.

He sighed; how tempting it was to explore Alec's room, every closet, drawer, chest. He was itching to be moving, looking, searching. Alec had once mentioned a diary, and on the sudden thought, Magnus sat up. Oh, how much trouble would lend into the moment... but he couldn't help himself.

He snapped his fingers and a small, black book appeared in his hand. It had a small padlock on the front, which Magnus dismissed with only lingering blue sparks, and it fell open to its opening page.

_By the Angel, something weird is happening to me! It's Jace- and me, or... or something. I feel so strange. I feel sick and pale and nervously clammy, like I'm bound to mess something up. I can't look him in the eye, or be in the same room alone. If I do, I feel like I'm going to puke and that only makes me more nervous..._

_'I feel like I'm going to puke' is right_, thought Magnus as he felt remotely sick, and even a little angry. The date scrawled on that page was smudged and unreadable, and the warlock could only guess it was old. He flipped a handful of pages, frowning.

_I'm gay. Totally and absolutely. I asked Izzy about some stuff with romance (I could never ask Jace) without being too obvious, I think. I have no feelings towards girls. I'm interested in guys- not like, I wanna date him interested, but just interested in general. I'm curious. But it's all a recipe for disaster. I'm gay, and there's simply no way around it._

Magnus frowned a bit at that one- he knew Alec had problems with expressing his homosexuality, but they had never really talked about it. Now it was plain it was something that Alec worried (used to, at least) about a lot more than he let on. Magnus' fingers flickered through a few pages again, looking for the date he'd memorized: the day he'd hosted a certain party that had ended with far too many consequences...

_Magnus Bane. He's this strange warlock. Isabelle's going on about how he's into me, how he's sexy, so on, so forth. I really wish she hadn't brought me along, if this was solely her reason. Isabelle on matchmaking- she tries too hard on me. It's all wasted. I could never open up to somebody._

_..._

_But, Magnus Bane? He is incredibly hot._

Magnus laughed out loud, smirking to himself. From day one, Alexander had thought that? Wouldn't that little piece of information had made his life a whole lot simpler?

There was noise in the hallway just then, and Magnus snapped his fingers to lock and place the journal back where it had been. Then, he flopped backwards gracefully, taking on the position of utter ease. Despite that, he couldn't wipe that grin off his face.

Alec had opened and reclosed the door moments later, muttering a low string of words under his breath. All Magnus caught was something about _spicy_ and _asshole_.

"Spicy asshole?" he questioned. "Well, that's a new one. If we're throwing out suggestions here, chocolate syrup might be old-fashioned but, hot damn, do I like sweet, sticky stuff."

Alec made a face that looked like he'd just witnessed the Angel Raziel jumping on his bed. His eyes shot open, he paled, only to turn a crimson moments later, turning away while stuttering out his words. "Ma-Magnus...! I meant, Jace, he, I-I..." Then he shivered, and Magnus couldn't stop his laughter. "You think it's so funny, Bane! First I get my mouth burned by Jace's stupid spicy... _abomination_ of a soup, and now I can't think of chocolate syrup as the same!"

"What about whipped cream? Or caramel. Although," Magnus added thoughtfully, "I prefer slippery to sticky."

"Magnus!"

"Silly, innocent Alexander," he mused, smirking. His mind was saying, _don't you do this, _while his whole body was saying, point blank, _fuck yes._ He really couldn't resist.

**Shhh... I know it's a little OOC. But I like it. It's fiery smut and Magnus being funny. So, shhh. Just read it. Enjoy the moment. xD **

**I wanna say thanks for the reviews I've gotten so far. Keep it up, people! (Especially on the fluff and smut. I need comments... because I feel like I could improve.)**


	8. Downgraded

In a quick second, he'd slammed Alec back against his own bedroom door and was hungrily pressing into a kiss. He heard Alec's little squeak of surprise, and he didn't get a response from the kiss. Infuriated, he pulled away with an accusing look in his eyes.

"Magnus, we, just... _I can't_."

"I'm just kissing you," he retorted, and found that his voice sounded rough and clipped to his own ears. He could only imagine what it sounded like to Alec, and for a moment, he found he didn't care. "I'm not allowed to kiss you. I thought you said I could."

"You can, but-"

"Then why are you fighting me!"

"I'm not! It's just not a good time!"

"So I have to wait until it's _convenient_? It doesn't work that way," Magnus growled, before he mentally caught himself. What was he _doing_? Getting mad at Alexander for not kissing him back... What a pushy, pathetic bastard he was. Letting out a quick exhale, he backed a step away. "I'm sorry. That was my mistake. Excuse my behaviour." But, no more than had he gotten the words out, now he was the one being kissed.

Shock coloured his thoughts, much like that day not so long ago in the Halls. Alec rarely made a first move, much less when Magnus was being rude and demanding. Much less with this much passion and demand.

Not to commit the fallacy that he'd chewed out Alec for, he quickly kissed him back. While it was something strange that Alec pulled the first move, he wasn't in the mood to puzzle it. Actually, he would never be.

Slipping his hands down to Alec's perfect waist, he parted his lips before the latter could ask. There was the immediate expected reaction, and they were falling dizzily into a kiss that he never wanted to break.

Granted, Alexander had to break away for air, and by that time, even Magnus was short of breath. Not that he minded; each kiss with Alexander was totally different and each its new species. He never got tired of assessing and guessing.

But even kissing could get a little boring.

He pressed the Shadowhunter back against the door, gently, this time, his hands slipping under his shirt. Alexander tensed, and then relaxed, only pressing closer. Lips were suddenly busy against Magnus' neck and he smiled, moving his hands upward and pulling the shirt with them. He hated to break his boyfriend away from what seemed a perfectly nice hickey, but some things needed to be done.

Alec's hair was touseled after his shirt was pulled off, and Magnus had the sudden urge to bury his fingers deep into it. Soft as usual and featherlight to the touch, his fingers tangled and twisted, preventing Alec from ever leaving him.

There was nothing grandeur about the way his shirt then fell to the floor afterwards, in fact, it was a little clumsy and hurried. Alexander was in a fluster; he always had a bit about him that made taking off or putting clothes on more difficult when he was flustered. Magnus found it, while a little annoying, rather cute.

Then, they were kissing again. Kissing Alexander was like a little jolt of electricity every time. No matter how many times he got shocked, no matter how many times he should learn better, he always went back for more.

His fingers dipped down to Alec's waistband and quickly found the button on his jeans. He heard his boyfriend's quiet inhale of breath and the pressure on his lips faltered. _Just please, just once, let me see you naked_, Magnus thought with an air of frustration. He could be good. But, damn it... Abstinence really wasn't his thing. For obvious reasons.

Alec's next move merely surprised him. He felt him turn, and Magnus nearly recoiled in agitation, when he found that Alec was only playing with his doorknob. Locking the door. The warlock blinked in a slow moment, before a grin broke across his features. Without waiting for either Alec to change his mind or for another action to be taken, he hooked his fingers into the loops on the Shadowhunter's jeans and jerked them down.

Sometime soon after, into another one of those exotic kisses, he realized that Alec wasn't responding in the way he had been. Like the fire had gone out from his actions, the passion out of his touch. He wondered when that had happened, and how he hadn't noticed before.

"What's wrong, love?" he breathed against Alec's collarbone, nuzzling at his soft skin.

"Nothing," Alec responded in such a voice that Magnus pulled away. It sounded like he was suppressing tears.

"Alec?" Magnus blinked, watching Alec closely. He'd turned his head away, looking to the far wall, and Magnus couldn't catch his eyes. It made him a little sad; he always got a strange feeling when those eyes wouldn't look at him. "There is something wrong. Tell me." He raised a hand and gripped Alec's chin loosely to make him look towards him, but Alec only pulled out of his grasp.

Magnus quickly realized that he was treading on very thin ice.

"Alexander... Hey, it's alright. You don't have to do anything you don't want to, you know that." Alec being irritating and not giving into romance, Alec pushing him away, that sparked his anger. But, Alexander, trembling visibly and avoiding his gaze, was enough to have him on his knees to repent. Nearly no one put Magnus Bane on his knees.

"I'm nervous," came the quiet response, so quiet that Bane nearly didn't catch it. "And embarrassed."

"Whatever for, you silly Nephilim?"

"You're expecting something that it's not..."

"You're mistaken, Alexander. Expecting something that it's not? How can I expect when you're a Lightwood? From day one, I never knew what to expect, and I still don't. And as for being embarrassed," he leaned down to kiss Alec's chest, "don't be." He raised his hand and this time Alec let his head be guided. Magnus stared evenly back into those gleaming blue eyes, ones full of unsure feelings towards their beholder. "You're the only thing I ever need." He leaned in and pressed his lips, very gently, to Alec's.

* * *

><p><strong>It's... short. Bahah... Bare with me. I couldn't throw the next chapter into this one, or it would have been too long, so, you just get cute (slightly angsty) stuff for now. And Magnus is getting impatient. ;D Ah... Another time I wish I were Alexander Lightwood.<strong>

**Reviews, reviews? Please? 8D **


	9. Disturbance

As luck would have it, dinner was delayed for some reason or another, and he couldn't say that he was sorry. It had taken a few minutes to calm Alec down enough to make him realize his words were true. Then it had taken another handful of tense moments to persuade Alec into bed with him. Nothing would come of it, they both had their boxers on, after all. It was just simply canoodling, as he liked to call it.

Now, Alexander was wrapped in his arms while a light rain pattered on the rooftops. Nothing was being said, and Magnus was content with the silence as he always was. Talk was cheap. He didn't need to hear it every moment, and while he liked to throw extravagant, loud parties, cuddling was always nice, too.

Alec shifted in his arms slightly, exhaling with a quiet sigh. Magnus tightened his grip around him only the slightest bit, uttering a "Are you warm enough?" under his breath.

When Magnus had found that Alec was shivering because he was cold, Survival One-oh-One kicked in. He kicked off his own pants and grabbed the blankets to pull over them, which earned a blush from his truly beloved.

"Yes," came the near silent reply, although Alec snuggled closer into Magnus' chest.

A knock on the bedroom door made them both jump, and Alec tensed up in his arms. The warlock took the moment to respond. "What do you need?"

"Dinner's ready."

"Alec's sleeping," he retorted, and Alec looked up at him with wide eyes.

"Well, wake him up. Either you come out or Maryse will come in." At this, Alec struggled out of Magnus' arms and hurriedly got himself busy with getting dressed.

The warlock nearly chuckled but responded with a lazy "We'll be there shortly". He didn't move immediately, but instead let his eyes flicker to the right to admire Alec's cute little ass.

"Are you going to get dressed? If Mother came up here now..."

"Yeah, yeah, I'm getting dressed," he responded casually, sliding out of bed only to walk across the room and grab his shirt.

Alec muttered something that sounded like "Put your pants on..."

"No, I thought I'd go down there with pantless. It's a nice touch for a family dinner. It'll break the ice, at least." He heared Alec snort, and nearly continued, when the abnormal sound of crinkling paper and a brighter light filled the room. Magnus turned, catching the paper as it floated out of the air. "Who's sending up a fire message at this time of night?"

_One, two,_

_Through and through. _

_Three, four,_

_They'll be no more. _

_Five, six,_

_You're my picks,_

_Seven, eight, _

_I'll put you straight._

"What in the _hell_, Magnus?" The warlock glanced to his side, having not noticed when Alexander had walked over to read the note. "Who sent it?"

He shook his head slowly. "It's unmarked," he replied, turning the paper over slowly. The handwriting was a clear, legible cursive, with a backwards slant. It was nothing out of the ordinary.

"This has something to do with what happened earlier."

"I'd venture a guess to say it's so."

"We have to tell my parents."

"No... this is my problem. I'll deal with it. It's personal now," he responded coolly, folding the paper up. Someone could threaten to hurt him, and even try to kill him, and he could handle that. He'd let someone else deal with it. But, made clear from the note, whoever this bastard was had just included Alexander in their little _danse macabre_. And there was no way in hell that he was going to let that slide.

"Magnus? Magnus!"

"What?"

"What are you thinking?"

"Asides from the fact that you're not wearing a shirt, and I still haven't found my pants?" He glanced at him again, and Alec, seeming to realize that thought right then, hurried to finish dressing.

"Seriously, though, you need to tell Robert and Maryse. Especially with these threats."

"They're not threats, Alec," Magnus replied, walking across the room to grab his jeans. "Right now, it's some rather tasteless poetry."

"That's not the point!"

"Just let me handle it, Alec. If I need help, I'll ask." He brushed off his clothes, slipping his hands into his pockets. "Now! I'm ready for lasagna!"

Alexander only sighed.

* * *

><p><strong>Shorter and shorter, don't mind me. So, sorry for the wait. I've so many computer problems the past three weeks. I had to delete all my files. But see, I took pictures of my story with DSi (don't laugh, I would have never remembered all of it), but I still need to type it all up. I got this up tonight on a random moment. So... More to come soon, I hope. <strong>

**Reviews = Fuel to post.**

**Let's get... 45 reviews to unlock the next chapter! I know I have more than eight Watchers, so it should be easy. (Blame Okami- I'm stuck in video game mode: Do _this_ to unlock _that_. You know.)**


	10. Dash

As it turned out, there was no lasagna for dinner. Grumbling under his breath, he'd plopped himself down into one of the chairs while Alec muttered something about "picky warlock" under his breath. Magnus had only grinned, but when Alec looked back at him, he only saw worry in those pretty blue eyes.

Another thing that Magnus realized: maybe family dinners weren't exactly boring. Maybe it was only because he was somewhat friends with Alec's family already. he'd found himself laced into a conversation about warlock powers with Clary, ones that generally encircled around the topic of the mind. Isabelle was throwing a conversation back and forth betwene Magnus and Clary, and Maryse, while Robert was silently eating his dinner. Jace was arguing with Alec about something, and the Lightwood brother seemed to rather be on the losing end.

"Clary," Jace interrupted, "tell Alec that I'm right."

"Alec, you should probably already know when to just tell him that he's right."

"But then it just goes to his head," Alec muttered, taking a sip of his coffee afterwards.

"Oh, look, a spider," Isabelle said suddenly, and Magnus followed her eyes to a small, black spider that was hanging from a thin thread on the chandelier. It was slowly descending towards the table at a steady pace.

Then, everything happened all very fast.

Magnus quickly remembered that Alec had once mentioned that he was afraid of spiders, and as if on cue, there was the scraping of a chair being roughly scooted backwards. Magnus moved before he realized it, catching Alec's hand and pulling him close to his chest, twirling him around like a professional dancer, before his boyfriend could topple to the floor with the chair he'd been sitting on.

He looked downwards at Alec, who still had the panic and fear etched into his bright, wide eyes. That was quickly being overtaken by embarrassment, however, as Alec looked away, and his cheeks started to tinge. "Be more careful," Magnus breathing, his exhale of air causing the black bangs of the young Shadowhunter to ruffle.

And then he let go of Alec, leaning across the table to cup the spider in his hands before taking it outside. When he came back, not a single person had moved, not even Alexander. Blinking, Magnus made his way back to his seat. Alec slowly repositioned his chair and sank into it as well, only looking like he was about to cut and run.

Clary broke the silence. "I forgot you were afraid of spiders," she mused absently, and the frozen mood lifted. The Lightwood parents went back to their meals, Maryse, a little hesitantly. Isabelle seemed to be watching Magnus with a mixture of amusement and clear-eyed assessment. He looked back at her, arching an eyebrow. Jace had only laughed, which was followed by a sharp "Ow!" that was presumably of Clary- or Isabelle's- doing. Seriously funny, Magnus found it, that he managed to halt conversation by the means of a spider. If only he had really tried.

**XxXxXxX**

And so it went that dinner after Magnus had publically _embraced_ him was less animated than before. Everyone seemed a little bit tense, on edge, and Alec himself felt exactly the same way.

After the silence had stretched on a particularly dull moment, Alec had muttered a hasty "Excuse me" along with a "Thanks for the meal" before hurrying down the hall. He felt eyes on his back the whole time but he didn't have to look back to know that the ever familiar cat ones were staring him down.

With somewhat shaking hands, he locked himself into the bathroom. He needed to calm down; he was blowing this all out of proportion. Everyone was. Magnus had only stopped him from falling flat on his ass. It wasn't like they'd gone all out and publically kissed again. So, why was he shaking?

Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, he looked to himself in the mirror. His cheeks were flushed, even now, and his eyes were hectic and bright. He looked like an enthusiastic teenager. Smiling a bit sheepishly, he ran his fingers through his hair and sighed again.

A knock on the bathroom door made that smile vanish, and it was all nerves and butterflies again. "What, Magnus..." he muttered halfheartedly, wrenching the door open to face... his Mother. "Mom!" he choked, taking an automatic step backwards. "I mean, Maryse... Yes?"

"Alexander... we need to talk."

"Talk?" _But why in the bathroom?_ he mused to himself, frowning a bit.

"You and Magnus."

"What about us..." was his response as his mouth went dry. He'd known that their relationship would have been the topic but... he couldn't fight the fear and panic. And nervousness.

"You two. How serious are you?"

Alec blinked. "Serious?"

"How far has your relationship progressed?"

He abruptly understood where this was going. His face flushed all over again and he looked away, feeling vaguely like slamming the door in her face. "Mom! I mean, you... Seriously?" he spluttered, staring hard at the cabinets.

"It's important, Alexander. While it may not be the same as a... a man and a woman's relationship, there are still risks."

"I don't need a sex talk!" he blurted. "I _so _don't need a sex talk!" Blushing furiously, he slipped around her and took off down the hallway, high on a streak of adrenaline. It wasn't his fault. There was no way he was going to stick around and listen to his Mother, of all people, disucuss a homosexual's sexual relationship. It just wasn't going to happen.

He skidded around the corner, nearly running face first into Magnus. The warlock looked a little bemused when Alec locked his fingers around his hand and proceeded to pull him towards the elevator.

"What are you doing?"

"Running!"

"But... From what?"

"Mother!"

"Why?"

"You ask too many questions!" he shot back, a kind of a laugh bubbling off of his tongue. He could feel Magnus' stare on him, but only pushed him into the elevator and slammed the gate behind himself.

"What's gotten you in this rush?" Magnus questioned, frowning a bit. "Not that I don't like this new disobeying, adrenalin-infused, laughing Alexander, but...?" The question trailed off into silence but was just as strong had it been fully asked.

"Maryse... She was asking me stuff, and, and... yeah," he finished rather lamely, not wanting to see Magnus' reaction if he told him just what exactly the conversation he had been running from was about.

"Okay?"

"Can I spend the night again?" he asked, before the mood had the chance to be killed. He really did want to spend the night at Magnus', just because... it felt nice. Sleeping next to someone... It made him feel a lot less lonely. And Magnus was warm. And he smelled good.

Magnus' expression did change at that. Whatever he'd been expecting, it wasn't that. His cat eyes widened only the slightest bit, a look of surprise flashing across his face. Then, the look settled and the warlock only grinned, pulling Alec into a nearly bone-crushing embrace. "You silly, silly Nephilim. Why do you have to ask?"

* * *

><p><strong>Hey! Hey, look! I finally found my bastardly DSi charger! It was mixed in with my Wii wires, which happen to be the same colour of gray. But, I found it! I'm two DS pictures away from being caught up. Finally.<strong>

**Also, my Chapter titles are starting to change... This chapter should have ended in 'ance' but now it's getting too difficult, so I'm just going to go with all D's. Eh.**

**Thirdly, let's hit... _62_ reviews for the next chapter. Yes, I know I'm pushing it, but you guys did so well last chapter. Anywhere around that mark will be fine, and then I think I'll be finished with the review marks... x'D Maybe. It's fun and compels readers to review.**

**Lastly, if any of you people watch the SyFy Channel, or have seen the SyFy miniseries _Tin Man_, check out my stories for that. (: And if you haven't, and you like SyFy'ish stuff, I highly recommend that. It's sadly very un-popular fanfiction-wise. (Compared to TMI or something like Glee.) It's a remake (SyFy, remember) of _The Wizard of Oz. _And _Alice_ is another remake (SyFy again) of _Alice in Wonderland_. Both are great miniseries that I would rate highly.**


	11. Drenched

It had started raining about halfway back to Magnus'. The warlock had dragged him, laughing, under the awning of a long-since abandoned building. Alec shook water from his hair, feeling a small twinge of satisfaction when Magnus complained about getting wet.

"We're both already all wet," the Shadowhunter pointed out, rubbing at his nose. It was one of those chilling, heavy rains that left you shivering for a half hour. He was just glad they'd gotten out of it quickly.

Arms wrapped around him from behind and he leaned back into the them, sighing softly. Even when cold and wet, Magnus was always a little bit warmer.

He'd lost his small, but unusual, adrenaline rush. He knew it wouldn't last long after he had rushed out of the house, and had settled down accordinly. Magnus, however, still seemed to be strung up on the top rung, which no chance of coming down, smirking and laughing about things that he wouldn't tell Alec. He just guessed Magnus had gotten high off the vibes and just hadn't come back down yet.

Heat rushed into his face when warm lips nibbled at his earlobe. "Magnus..." he breathed, reaching his arms around backwards to lock around the warlock's torso. "What are you doing...?"

"Tenderizing your earlobe. I plan to chop it off and cook it to serve with dinner," came the smoldering reply. Hands traveled down his cold sides, and Alec shivered.

"That's just gross..." he whispered back, turning around slightly to kiss him.

It was cold and wet and rainy outside, quite the dreary night, but he and Magnus were under the awning, pressed together and together in a liplock that made Alec forget it was cold and rainy.

Capable hands found themselves under the Shadowhunter's shirt, and he jumped, before settling into those hands. They were slightly rough and very warm, able to take away all of his goosebumps and bring back even more for different reasons. Anxiously, Alec moved his lips away from Magnus' mouth, kissing down his jawline and to his throat.

"And now what are you... doing?" Magnus muttered, his words only faltering a bit when Alec began to lick and nip at a more tender spot on his neck.

"Kissing you." Alec wasn't good with words, sarcastic comments or witty remarks, and so he learned to not use them at all. Sometimes, point blank honesty was all that was needed. A slight, shaking, exhale of breath from his lover proved that his theory on no words was correct.

He was becoming strangely aware that they were both wound up tighter than they should have been. And he was realizing that they were in public, but he couldn't bring his lips to form the words that would stop this. He couldn't, and wouldn't, bring his lips to stop their actions on Magnus' neck.

But, Magnus could stop the actions on Magnus' neck.

Suddenly, Alec was pressed back against the grimy, old door, a knot of the wood digging uncomfortably into his back as Magnus' tongue delved deep into his mouth. Hands were pressed firmly against his lower back (his shirt had risen up), dipping dangerously deeper past the waistline of his low rise jeans. Just as quickly as Alec processed this thought, and had reached out a hand to swat at Magnus' arm with the protest of _not here_, he suddenly found that arm pinned above his head, one of the warlock's knees against the wall in between his legs to assure he couldn't move. His breath tumbled from his lips in a panicked, highly aroused sigh.

He tested Magnus' hold on his arm, and found he couldn't budge it. His right arm was still free, but he was quite sure Magnus would relent his hand on his back to grab that hand as well, need be. The only other thing was Magnus' knee and it was dangerously close to his groin. Although, Magnus was quite teasing him, because they weren't damn touching.

"Magnus..." he growled, although it came out more as a grumbling whine. A finger was pressed against his lips, followed by a quick kiss. Before he could process it, Magnus' free hand had snuck up under Alec's shirt and his warm fingers caught a nipple and rolled it between those fingers. Quite suddenly, Alec found that his moaning was probably louder than the rain.

His fingers clutched clumsily at Magnus' shirt, pulling him close so that their lips descended upon each other's. He was the only leading the rough kissing this time, nipping and sucking lightly on the lower lip of his partner as he went. He didn't go unrewarded- Magnus' silence slipped on several occasions.

Now there was still the problem of being pinned against the wall. He tried to squirm out of the awkward position, but was only rewarded by being playfully smacked across the face.

"You _ass_," he grumbled vehemently, gnawing his own lip anxiously.

"Through and through." The pressure around him vanished and he found he could suddenly move- and see, more than Magnus. The street, the cars, the pouring rain... The houses and businesses nearby...

Magnus efficiently distracted him by kissing him- down the chest and continuing down his stomach as the warlock went to his knees. Panic fluttered through Alec's stomach for the umpteenth time as Magnus' lips kissed along the waistband of his jeans. The warlock's fingers hooked around the waistband, curiously poking into his skin and creeping towards the button.

For a moment there, Alec simply felt like he was going to pass out. His mind was swimming, his legs were like gelatin beneath him, and a wave of something unidentifiable rushed over him, nearly sending him reeling. He could barely draw a breath to choke out Magnus' name.

"M-Magnus..."

Fingers ghosted over the zipper of his jeans, wrecking silent havoc over his erection. This time Magnus' name escaped his lips on the moan that followed. On reflex, he pressed into his hand, fingers curling into Magnus' damp colourful hair. The spikes had washed out with the rain...

The button of his jeans being undone was like a breath of fresh air- some tight pressure finally released. It was also like a breath of cold air on the back of your neck: it made you shiver and cleared your mind.

"Magnus...!" he choked, tugging hard on the warlock's hair.

"Ow...!"

"S-Stop it..." he panted, biting his tongue hard to distract himself. Counting down from twenty-five in his head, Alec got to a point where he could taste blood in his mouth before he dared speak again. "We're in public..."

Magnus didn't seem to have recollected that fact, either, as he glanced up, and behind them. Then, the cat eyes roamed back to the blue ones. For a split second, Alec only saw desire, lust, and desperation staring back at him.

Then, the warlock had dropped his forehead against Alec's thigh, exhaling with a heavy sigh. "Sorry."

Magnus had been, surprisingly, too caught in the moment just as Alec had.

When Alec spoke next, his voice, to his extreme embarrassment, shook again. "L-Let's go back... to your place, okay?" It wasn't as if he was trying to insinuate anything; well, maybe he was. But, at least in Magnus' house, they could do whatever they wanted without the fear of being caught. Looking into Magnus' eyes just then, Alec realized that he wanted to get that desperate look out of those beautiful cat eyes- and, for once, he'd finally be ready.

* * *

><p><strong>Well, asides from the fact that I didn't get the reviews that I wanted r-r (Not exactly pleased, but oh well), I needed to get this up. I never know when my computer will go and since I have back chapters again, they need to get online. But whatever... Reviews will improve my mood. -Smile-<strong>

**(Why am I stressed? Two words: Homecoming week. Most of you can probably relate. Merde.)**


	12. Demented

As it turned out...

Tonight wasn't going to be the night, after all.

He just... it was... He was so _sleepy_. By the time they got to Magnus' door, the warlock was supporting him on one side with absolute panic, was it, written onto his face.

"Alec? Alec, pay attention to me."

" 'm awake, Mags..." He stumbled slightly when he tried to take the step through the doorway, and in the next moment, he found the world spinning together into one great blur and his position changed. For a moment, he thought he was falling, but the next, he was nestled into Magnus' arms and staring up at the ceiling as they ascended the stairs. He tried to protest, but for some reason, he couldn't find the strength to move his lips.

It was getting darker the further they went up the staircase. It was like it never ended, although he knew it did. He thought it did.

It did, right?

**XxXxXxX**

Magnus knew Alec was under before he'd even gotten into his room. He didn't know why, all of a sudden, when they'd been walking back home, Alec started stumbling and complaining about how tired he was. And it wasn't the slap-happy-complaining you get if you're _too_ tired, but genuine looking-as-if-you're-going-to-pass-out tired. Being that tired didn't come on that fast and considering how Alec hadn't been able to form a longer coherant sentence by the time they hit his steps... Yes, Magnus was worried.

He laid Alec down on his bed, the frown never leaving his face as he checked his pulse, respiration, and everything else important. Everything just seemed normal. It was just as if Alec had simply been too tired to stay awake. But, he knew better. Sure, it had been a... busy day. But it did _not_ come on that fast. Not for a Shadowhunter. Not for Alexander.

On edge, he quickly began to peel off Alec's wet clothes. They were both drenched from walking in the rain; it was like Nature had a personal grudge against them, as it had poured the entire way back. Maybe he couldn't get any dry clothes on his boyfriend right now, but he'd get the wet ones off. Although, despite everything Magnus knew and did, it was still a little bit weird undressing Alec when he was asleep...

Clasping the wet clothing under his arm, he gently pulled the blankets back and tucked Alexander into them. With a snap of his fingers, Alexander's jet black hair was dry; messy, but dry. He then stripped out of his own sodden clothing and tossed the lot of them into the bathroom sink when he walked into the adjoining room, grabbing a towel to quickly dry his hair. Contrary to popular belief, he didn't use his powers for every single thing, despite being a warlock.

He was quickly back into the bedroom, not wanting to leave Alexander unattended in this state. He was probably being too overprotective and worrying too much, which was weird, because he normally didn't worry at all. Worrying made him angry, and so he tried not to worry, but this was Alexander and it was different.

Brushing the Shadowhunter's bangs out of his face, Magnus crawled into bed next to him and curled up under the covers. His nerves were all messed up, partially from his stupid PDA and partially from this situation. He really didn't he'd be sleeping soon. Whatever sleep he would get would be sure to be plagued by dreams of the most unpleasant kind...

**XxXxXxX**

Magnus jolted awake with a start. When had he fallen asleep? Hadn't he been thinking how he wasn't going to fall asleep and then he'd gone and fallen asleep? He had the strange feeling that he'd been sleeping for longer than he should have been...

He glanced reflexively towards his alarm clock and surprisingly found it was morning of the next day. Eight a.m., give or take twenty minutes or so. He then looked towards the bed, hoping Alec was awake.

Only Alec... wasn't there.

"Alec?" he questioned, looking around. That was odd... usually Alec didn't roam his house. Although he had told him he was free to, he just usually didn't.

A quick search of the house told Magnus that his boyfriend wasn't here. By the time he'd circled back around to his bedroom to grab his cell, he was extremely on edge. All the strange feelings he'd had before falling asleep were back, fast and simple, gnawing at his stomach.

Isabelle picked up on the fifth ring.

"What _do_ you want, Magnus?"

"Is Alec there?"

"Why would he be here?"

"Well, when I fell asleep last night, he was in bed with me. I woke up rather lonely this morning."

"He's not there?"

"No."

"No note?"

"Obviously not."

"Well, he hasn't been back here. I've been awake for a few hours and haven't heard anything."

Magnus sighed. "Alright. I'll go lookin'."

"You need help?"

"Nah. I'm sure he's around. I'll keep in touch." He hung up before Isabelle could respond. He didn't want her help and he didn't want her worrying and nagging at him. Maybe she wouldn't have done that anyway, but he... he didn't know for sure, but he felt like...

"_Damn it!_"

Magnus usually wasn't the one for random outbursts- or outbursts at all, really. But while his head was telling him to be logical and calm the hell down, panic was overtaking all of the rational feelings that he should have been feeling. There had been something off last night. And a few things, for the past few days. And now Alec was gone and he just had a really, _really_ bad feeling.

In the few moments that he was summing up his emotions, he'd tried to call Alec (which should have been his first move, but he wasn't thinking properly) to no avail. After leaving a slightly irate message for his boyfriend, he took off into the rain.

He knew the places where Alec went when he wanted to be alone. He wasn't in any of those places. A quick run-through ascertained that fact. After only a solid fifteen minutes of running around in the rain, Magnus was still alone and drenched, _and_ shivering. He _was_ cold and wet... but, if he wasn't lying to himself, he knew that wasn't the reason.

Staying calm was the best option, but not one that he could manage easily.

After he'd doubled back to his place to make sure the Shadowhunter hadn't shown up, and after trying to call again, Magnus slumped against the hallway wall and sighed. Alec wouldn't just vanish. Well, okay, if Magnus had done something really stupid, Alec would vanish. But Magnus hadn't done anything really stupid. Stupid, but not really stupid. So, that was out.

The only other option that Magnus could think of was-

The telltale sounds of flames crackling and paper crinkling was the final piece of the puzzle. All his time of searching; Alec's behaviour, the "sickness", the random disappearance, the unanswered calls... It all lead up to this. Magnus had had that feeling. He knew what that feeling had been. He knew what that feeling was turning into.

_One plus one makes two,_

_Subtract one, the other's blue._

_But not for long,_

_We'll sing this song,_

_Because his time is through._

Magnus had shredded the paper before he knew what he was doing, his hands shaking throughout the process.

What it had been: fear.

What it was now: anger.

Although, anger was a very, _very_ dimmed down version of it. Magnus didn't really care much if people were sending him death threats or trying to kill him or making him a target or being all cryptic with their stupid fire messages, but just about the time that they brought Alexander into it... Well, they hadn't just brought Alexander into it. They had _crossed the mother fucking line_.

No going back now.

In his fingers appeared a pen, and he was writing the response out with a calculated calm.

_Where shall we meet?_

* * *

><p><strong>I've come to the conclusion that many of my readers may hate me now. x'D Yes, I know what you guys want. (I want it, too.) But, as the story's been hinting at, there's more here than just PWP. So... if PWP is what you're looking for, you should know by now that it isn't this story. And for those who want that fluff... hopefully you can tolerate this action. =-P<strong>

**Just a guess here, looking at how I'm planning this, I'm thinking HYST will have... around five or so more chapters before it comes to a close. :/**

**Lastly, I wanted to say THANK YOU to my reviewers. I've stopped trying to respond to each; I haven't the time and I've forgotten who's responded before and who hasn't. So, for my regulars (and the ones just getting in) thanks so much, you guys. It really means a lot. :3**


	13. Death

There was something about the way that those two were so stupidly clueless. Alexander Gideon Lightwood and Magnus Bane. And while there was something in the way that the warlock managed to avoid clear attacks, he had never been so more amused than to be tracking this certain child of Lilith.

Although, tracking was a very poor word. It hadn't taken much to find Mr. Bane- he was as flambouyant as they came. And for that, it was even easier to hate the sad bastard.

_Catching_ Mr. Bane; now that had been the more difficult part. Warlocks always were slippery, conniving people. But, his counterpart, Mr. Lightwood... Well, he had expected a bit more of a fight coming from the Lightwoods, but Alexander was the complete opposite of his family. He was quiet, he was shy, he was wary, and he was also extremely easy to take control of. Mr. Magnus Bane had proven that quite nicely outside the old abandoned building in the rain.

Alexander Gideon also proved to be quite the symbol of attachment to Mr. Bane. Quite the symbol, indeed...

It hadn't been hard to attack Alexander's body. Making him feel unaccountably and undoubtably ill was a simple task. The drowsiness had just came with it, and made his job quite easier.

Warlocks were, well, they were Children of Lilith, after all. But Magnus Bane was perceptibly different. And it was amusing, to say the least.

However much that Mr. Bane tried to cover himself up with bright colours, flashing lights, glitter, and people, it wasn't going to hide whom he really was. And that was just plain funny.

Leaning back against the pristine, wallpaper covered wall, he looked towards Mr. Lightwood's unconscious body. He was just sleeping it off now, so he wouldn't be surprised if the sad sack woke up soon. It didn't matter. Alexander may have been a Shadowhunter, but he hadn't even had a seraph blade or stele on him. Although, that had probably come from the fact of the warlock changing the Nephilim's clothes after the rainstorm.

Either way, it wouldn't have mattered. He wasn't a demon himself and no Mark that any Shadowhunter could draw would ever hurt him. He wasn't what you would call a Downworlder in that sense, but he wasn't Nephilim and he wasn't a mundane. What did he call himself; where exactly did he fit in the intricate design? Nowhere really. He was only a traveling soul, one whom had his own job to do and liked to spike it with pleasure now and again.

Soon, very soon, Mr. Bane would be joining him here. And it wasn't exactly a hidden fact that the warlock would be mad. But, he'd learned through years of practice, when one had someone to protect, it made Death a lot easier to accept.

* * *

><p><strong>Before you tell me it's short, I have something to say... IT'S SHORT! I know. Trust me, I know. Here is not so much a Chapter as it is a Teaser, but introducing the new character with his ominous point of view seemed well enough for Chapter Thirteen. It's a... <em>diabolical<em> Chapter. I'll update soon (I hope). **


	14. Desolation

The first thing that Alec became painfully aware of was that he did not feel well. And it was a little more strange that he had felt when he had fallen asleep, although, truthfully, he didn't remember much about that.

The second thing that he was aware of was that it was cold. He recalled, he thought, that it had been raining when he had gotten to Magnus' place, but... it didn't sound like it was raining any longer? His head just felt funny... he couldn't tell much of anything at the moment. But- the cold. Why was it cold? It hadn't been cold before and it was cold enough to make him shiver now.

The third thing he realized, probably a little bit later than he should have, was that he was definitely not in Magnus' house. It didn't look like Magnus' house, it didn't smell like Magnus' house, and it didn't sound like Magnus' house. And it wasn't his place, either, so this led him to the conclusion that he was somewhere he really ought not to be. Somehow, he thought this with perceptible calm.

"Magnus...?"

"Mr. Magnus Bane will be joining us momentarily."

Alec rolled backwards off the bed, landing lightly for his feet while his hand went automatically for his stele. His hand didn't find it and he panicked briefly, looking down at himself to realize that he was dressed in one of Magnus' less showy T-shirts. Magnus hadn't liked this particular shirt because it was too _boring_, and had pawned it off to Alec, who'd taken it with somewhat reluctance. Boring to Magnus, still sort of _designer_-ish for him. That asides...

He squinted into the gloom of the room- it had to be night, didn't it- a little more tense and alert now that he was waking up.

"Who are you..." he questioned, eyes searching out the escape paths in the room. Window to his right, over the bed, the door and this stranger across from him. Chances of escape seemed highly unlikely, unless he was going to move fast. Nine times out of ten, the window wouldn't be an escape anyway. "What do you want?"

"You ask far too many questions far too quickly for me to properly answer them, Mr. Lightwood."

A prickle of unease shot straight down his spine. Maybe it could have been made off as a random hit, but this guy knew their names. "What do you _want_?" he repeated, eyes flicking around the room again. What could be used as a weapon, there had to be something... Nearly anything could be used as a weapon in skilled hands.

"To make things simpler, we'll put it off as revenge."

His eyes slid back towards the figure, whom still hadn't stepped out of the shadows but Alec knew he was there. "What do you mean, revenge?"

"Warlocks are a filthy breed. They have shown my kind no respect throughout the past and I will not let another one of that vile species run amok. Especially one whom is so... impertinent."

Magnus. This was all about Magnus. This was the reason everything had been happening lately- the murder, the fire messages... It was all this person's doing. This man was trying to get to Magnus. He himself had only gotten caught in the center.

"Granted, I didn't want to include you into our excursion tonight. Nephilim have always been a good asset to our world. They keep to where they should be, generally speaking, of course, and rid the world of the demons. But alas, Alexander, you are the one thing that Mr. Bane would sacrifice himself for."

Alec forced back the shiver that threatened to overtake him. One, he didn't like it, the way that this stranger said his name so calmly. It was almost as if they had been acquaintances for years. Only two other parties called him Alexander, and that was his parents and Magnus. Secondly, _sacrifice_. Magnus didn't seem the type to sacrifice himself for anyone's well being, not that he would say that out loud. But maybe... Maybe... Was _he_ really that important to his warlock boyfriend? Him, Alexander Lightwood?

He truthfully couldn't answer that.

He just had to hope that Magnus wouldn't do something so stupid. Admittingly, it was bad enough to think that Magnus was coming here, to them, only because he'd been... kidnapped. That thought led him onto a whole new roll of questions.

"How did I... How did you..."

"Take you away from Magnus? It was really quite simple. You see, I'm a Tokoloshe." The figure stepped into the light just then, causing Alec to tense again. This person was a rather short figure, maybe three or four foot tall at best. There was a strange gait about the way he walked, and maybe it was due to his height. His skin, looking dusty gray in the gloom, seemed to hang off his frail looking body as he stepped forward. Upon his face was a smile that stretched the skin too tight on his face, nearly reaching up to his eyes. Where his eyes should have been, Alec mentally clarified, as he noticed this figure didn't have eyes at all. They'd been gouged out.

"A Tokoloshe," Alec repeated aloud, pleased that his voice was steady. At least something was.

The truth was that Alexander didn't know anything about Tokoloshe monsters. He'd heard about them briefly, but the were only native to Africa and therefore, it hadn't been his forte. Tokoloshe monsters weren't demons, either, so that made him know even less. He did read, sure. But not books about South African supernaturals.

"You're confused. You see, a Tokoloshe is kind of an assassin for a higher power. Of course, that's the general story. I command myself in this plight, taking orders from no one else. A Tokoloshe has namely any sort of power, from tricking a child into seeing something frightening to killing a man through slow suffocation. For this particular case, it was almost too easy to put both you and Magnus to sleep." The Tokoloshe paused, tapping his chin thoughtfully. "Mr. Bane did seem to resist it unintentionally for a few moments, but eventually, he too succumbed."

So, it was something similar to warlock magic. That would make sense. No other way would someone be able to slip past both him and Magnus, even if he himself had been feeling a little ill. "Why go to all of this fuss if you could have just killed Magnus by waving your hand?"

He realized in that moment just how much he truly loved Magnus. That particular sentence that had just fallen off his lips so absently was like a personal blow to the heart. Because Alexander didn't think about Magnus being the first one to die. Alec was only a mortal; therefore, he would be first. Death would ensnare him, quickly smothering him with the cold wrath so commonly associated with it. He'd always thought that, and assuredly Magnus did too, so did the warlock go through this pain at every constant reminder...?

"I have to have some fun now and again, don't I, Alexander?"

Fun.

Yeah. Right.

**XoXoXoX**

Patience was not something that Magnus was good at.

It was just something that he had been born with, and something that he would never get over. Even after eight hundred years, Magnus was still rather impatient. And when it came to situations like these, he was even more impatient.

Needless to say, by the time he actually got a response on where he needed to go, he was ready to fire off a few less-than-proper responses. But, when the bastard finally got around to answering the damn thing, Magnus was ready to go.

It was some place far off, not New York. It... almost sounded like some African place. But, no matter. That didn't matter. He didn't care. He just had to get the closest Portal open and it was as simple as one, two, three.

The response on the fire message had sent him to this building, this building here that Magnus was looking up at. It was just a normal looking hotel building- but there was no life about it. He wouldn't have been surprised if this son of a bitch was the only one who rented out the whole place.

Not to dawdle, he was inside the place and heading to the room number that he'd been told when the last fire message had been sent to him. He was the picture of ease- hands in his pockets, a smile on his lips, and a casual stance about himself. He was perfecting that. Mentally, he wasn't so perfect.

But it didn't matter.

Alexander was within his grasp, and he _was_ going to get him back.

If it was a fight that this bastard wanted, then he was going to get it after all.

* * *

><p><strong>I'm thinking three more chapters. Two or three. The way I'm planning it, I could cut it at two, but I feel a third will be nice to round it off. Hoping You'd Say That has almost come to a close. :(<strong>

**As for the Tokoloshe, they are real (or at least, were rumoured to be true like everything else). They are interesting creatures that are said to come in the middle of the night and bite off sleeping people's toes... Hehe.**


	15. Darkening

Magnus hit the stairs to the fourth floor, not bothering to wait on the elevator. Because through the calm perceptiveness of the quiet morning, Magnus had heard a shriek. And he recognized that yell. Alexander didn't usually scream.

**XoXoXoX**

It had been against Alec's better judgement- really it had. He hadn't expected the pain to come so quickly, a crushing blow as if gravity were weighing down on top of him. The yell had broken his lips before he could stop it.

**XoXoXoX**

If only teleportation were one of Magnus' many magical abilities, because this running thing was a pain in the ass. Not that he was out of shape or anything, but it was slow, there were too many stairs, and so many _damned_ numbers to try and figure out where the hell the room was.

**XoXoXoX**

Alec had only managed to keep standing, his nails digging into the luxarious wallpaper coating the walls. He was out of breath, as if he'd just run a marathon. He had the suspicion that his lungs had come very close to getting crushed. Breathing was hard, and it was all he could do to catch a breath.

**XoXoXoX**

Magnus would have had a few choice words to yell as he kicked the door to the correct apartment open. It clattered noisily against the far wall, leaving the little room in dead silence. He would have been yelling if he thought that would have accomplished anything, but it would have only made him look bad.

**XoXoXoX**

Alec flinched at the sound of the door. His head snapped up towards the doorway, where Magnus would assuredly walk in at.

**XoXoXoX**

Magnus quickly found Alexander with ease, much less pleased in this state, with a frown on his face and anger in his heart.

**XoXoXoX**

_"Magnus..."_

_"Alexander."_

**XoXoXoX**

It probably would have been in that moment that they would have wound up in each other's arms had Alec not started wheezing again for his breath. That feeling was back- that crushing feeling that kept him rooted in place and made him almost beg for mercy. The look on Magnus' face, the glimpse that Alec caught, nearly redoubled the pain.

A mixture of loathing, panic, and disgust all crossed the warlock's face before Alec caught the glimmer of motion behind him.

"Magnus...!" he choked, but there was no need.

White-red flames shot towards Magnus' legs, but it seemed as if the warlock was already ready. With the simplest flick of the hand, Magnus had extinguished the flames and only blue sparks floated haphazardly down in their stead.

"Hello, you bastard."

**XoXoXoX**

"Good afternoon, Mr. Magnus. I see you found the hotel. Is it to your liking? I am afraid that my guest isn't much to your liking, but I didn't have time to spruce the sleepy fellow up."

Magnus, despite himself, glanced sideways at Alexander again. His boyfriend was wearing a shirt that Magnus remembered to be his own, and a pair of rather baggy pajama pants (that had also belonged to him). This thing was correct; Alec wasn't to his liking, he was to his _loving_.

"What do you want."

"Nothing except your blood, warlock."

So, he didn't really know what it was about. This... creepy little hag wanted his blood, though, so he could only pin it off on revenge. Frankly, he didn't even care about that fact.

"I hardly believe you'll get that."

He was on the little creep then- magic forgotten. Quite normally, Magnus didn't fight with his fists, but this was a different circumstance. All he knew was that _someone_ besides _himself_ had touched his Alexander, and he planned on pummeling the bastard until they were bloody and raw.

However.

The being, as it had already been noticed, was not human and could also use magic. Magnus hit the wall before he had time to blink, and found himself crumpled on the floor in a breathless heap.

"M-M-Magnus!"

Tasting blood in his mouth, he struggled to his feet. Eight hundred years of magic couldn't even prepare you if you didn't know what you were dealing with in the first place.

"Listen, you cock sucker," the other man started, and Magnus snorted, smirked, and muttered _"How vulgar_," under his breath all at once. "I've had a long withstanding policy about warlocks. I find one, I kill one. And you, my dearest freak, make everything else a little bit easier by being, just, yourself."

"Myself? You don't like me?" Magnus fired back, still grinning. "_Damn_. Here I was, thinking I was the best piece of shit to walk this earth."

Alec almost laughed, Magnus thought.

The little monster heard it, too. "Shut up, fag."

Blue fire shot from Magnus' fingertips before he could even draw a breath to growl. He didn't care if this was a hate crime for warlocks or a hate crime for homosexuals, but no one was going to be calling Alexander that. "How _dare_ you..."

He flinched when the flames backfired, and quickly dispersed them. Everything was being reflected. Well, then he'd fight with what couldn't be seen. The hotel was a nice place for this, the dark shadows in the corners and everything in the sense of the word of Darkness. Magnus folded his hands behind his back, trying to control the trembling in them. If he was upset, this just wasn't going to work. He just had to concentrate on the darkness, and the illusion, and a barrier, and a glamour, and protection wards... and he had to keep the bastard talking.

"So, what's your problem with..." He stopped as Alec was choking and spluttering behind him, and Magnus heard the thump of knees hitting the floor. "... warlocks?" he finished rather weakly, and he didn't need the smirk on the monster's face to know he'd gone bone white.

"I don't see why I need to explain you. You're merely filth on the bottom of my boot."

"Tacky looking boots, I might add."

The low whimper behind him proved that everytime he opened his mouth, Alec paid the price. He couldn't handle that. He just couldn't.

"Stop it!" he snapped, clenching his hands. The darkness in the room, the shadows he was staring at, seemed to converge, to shift, to move... Their destination was one in the same and Magnus, who normally was not religious, uttered a prayer of hope that the monster hadn't seen the sudden shift.

Luck was on his side, it seemed, as the man smirked wider but didn't seem to acknowledge the shift. At least Alec's whimpering cut off, and Magnus could hear him drawing in deep breaths. They were both powerless to this type of magic, especially one that could hold them in place. It was this type of magic that seriously pissed him off.

He couldn't be mad. He had to be calm. He had to. Controlling magic was hard enough under the best of circumstances- like on that ship when the Shadowhunters had gone to attack Valentine, he hadn't been fighting. He'd been _watching_. Calmly. Well, remarkably more calmer than he was now. He needed to achieve that state of calm.

Controlling magic was hard enough under the best of circumstances, and this was the worst. He wasn't just controlling magic, but Dark magic. He had sworn he wouldn't use it, but when lives were in danger, he was pretty sure he could go against his promise.

The Darkness was fairly easy to control. But this was dangerous. If he didn't execute the timing correctly, he might just execute himself and Alexander. And that, frankly, would go against his entire purpose of being here.

Magnus, also, had the uncanny ability to get extremely angry when someone either interrupted him, or touched him. He didn't like being touched. Personal pet peeve. He could touch who he wanted, where, when, why, and for whatever reason, but if someone touched him... well, no. Just no.

This could have been considered a fairly boring part of Magnus had the monster not suddenly slammed him back against the wall.

Sure, he _hadn't_ been watching. He _hadn't_ been expecting the attack. And now there was a knife at his throat and by the look of it, it was coated with poison. And all Magnus knew was that he was seriously angry.

Concentration snapping, he sent the strange being flying backwards, darkness exploding out from the borders of the room. Magnus only had the split second to throw up a hasty, weak barrier over Alexander before it converged.

It was an interesting power, this Darkness one that Magnus possessed. All it took was a shadow to start it and it would convene from there. This room had been particularly full of shadows. With his coaxing, all shadows had gathered into one point, molding and forming into something of a Dark ball of energy, although that might not have been the best word for it. A saner person would have argued that shadows couldn't do a person harm, but how wrong they were- Darkness could kill a person within the blink of an eye.

That was, if you didn't have a protective barrier.

Which, in the rush and anger of all things, Magnus did not.

And he was suspectible to Darkness, just as all others would be until the end of time.

* * *

><p><strong>If you're a particularly sensitive person, sorry for all of the derogatory slurs in this chapter. That's strictly the character; I, for one, support the LGBT community (obviously). Lots of cursing, lots of degrading comments, and lots of anger. It's the story, so don't be upset with me.<strong>

**I tried a lot of switching POVs in the beginning to reach a common conclusion, which, frankly is a bit confusing, but I couldn't change it. I like it, small confusions aside.**

**Magnus: Deviating from 'Maintain my image' to 'Deathly terrified' every single second. ;D (Adorkable.)**


	16. Disintegration

Magnus was exceedingly calm about the whole thing, as it seemed to Alexander. Except the little outburst in the beginning of everything, the warlock was taking this calmly. He didn't know how.

Alec himself was starting to get little panicky flutterings; Magnus was serious and calm all at once. And at one point, Alec could have sworn he had seen the Darkness move.

When he'd been going through Magnus' book, the one with all the spells in it, he'd seen several spells that involved Darkness and none of them ever ended well. It was Darkness, after all, and you just weren't supposed to dabble in those arts.

However, he stopped thinking about that when the Tokoloshe had Magnus pinned back against the wall with the knife to his throat. Without thinking rationally at all, Alec scrambled up and grabbing the nearest object, which happened to a pitched, threw it at the back of the attacker's head. At the same time, Magnus seemed to have lost the careful concentration that Alec had seen him possessing. The shadows shifted around them once more, and while Alec wasn't afraid of the dark, wasn't sure he wanted to know what would happen next.

The Tokoloshe had turned towards Alec and in that moment, there was a bright flash as if lightning had just-

He was tackled out of the way, hard, and very nearly put up a fight when he recognized the bright cat eyes belonging to his 'attacker'. Magnus dragged him to his feet while he protested (it was Life or Death, but _damn_ it, couldn't he be more gentle!).

"C'mon, let's go!" Magnus shouted, dragging him towards the door.

"But, Magnus-!"

Alec turned, only out of habit glancing over his shoulder out of reflex. It didn't do him any good.

The room had been covered in complete Darkness, one so thick that Alec couldn't even tell where their attacker had gone, and it was quickly spreading across the room. And while he wasn't afraid of the dark, he figured that getting caught in that quick-moving Darkness was a storm that they wouldn't be able to withstand. "Magnus!" Although, really, what could Magnus do? Too late now.

Without so much as time to blink, the Darkness had swallowed the room in all of its entirety.

It was a strange kind of feeling, like he was suddenly disconnected from his body. He couldn't find his legs to move them, much less tighten his grip on Magnus' hand. It wasn't completely unlike the Tokoloshe's crushing weight that had nearly put him under, except with this there was no pain.

But in the darkness, he couldn't tell if it was day or night, if he was awake or asleep, alive or dead. And, eventually, into the darkness, he softly succumbed.

**XoXoXoX**

Alexander awoke with a start. "Magnus!" He sat up rather quickly, his world suddenly being flooded with a bright light. For a silly, split, he thought he was dead.

But the bright cleared, and he could make out the shapes around him. That room... The same room he'd been in! So, he hadn't been unconscious that long, maybe a few seconds...

Without a further thought, his eyes immediately traveled to find the warlock he was missing. He became aware that he was still holding his hand, for one, and secondly, that Magnus was unconscious as well. "Magnus? Magnus? Wake up," he half demanded, shaking the warlock's shoulder. "Honestly, how could we both fall asleep on the job...?" he muttered, waiting for those eyes to open and for some wise-ass remark to be cracked about him getting kidnapped.

Even that didn't happen, and a prickle of unease shot through him. "Magnus...?"

Alec took his eyes off of Magnus for a second, looking around the room uneasily. The Tokoloshe had gone, just like that. Well, maybe it wasn't quite that simple. Everything in the room seemed to simply have disintegrated, or at least tried to. The walls hadn't quite gotten that far, but other than that, there was simply a lot of blackened ash around him.

"Magnus, wake up!" he demanded, looking back to the warlock and impatiently prodding at his cheek. "If you saved my life, I know you had to save yours, so wake up!" His voice broke on the last syllable and he mentally cursed at himself. He would not do this. He would not give in that simply.

"Come on, you stupid warlock," he muttered, quickly giving in to the emotion in his voice as he fumbled for Magnus' wrist. It should have been the first thing he went for, but his mind was so confused. He still wasn't sure what exactly had-

"Boo!"

With a shriek that he would deny later that had come from his own mouth, Alec jumped backwards when Magnus suddenly sat up. Those cat eyes were finally visible, and so was the humour in them.

"You asshole!" was all Alec could think to splutter before Magnus had pulled him into one of the tightest hugs he'd ever received. "... You scared me..." he murmured, burying his head against Magnus' collarbone. "I thought you were dead..."

Magnus laughed a bit and Alec felt the warlock's chin being placed on his own head. "Truthfully, I thought I was, too."

"How did we- I mean, what did you..."

"There was a barrier. Over you."

"Oh." He paused, frowning. _Over you_? "Only over me?"

"Yes."

"But why?"

"I didn't have time."

"You idiot! Why wouldn't you worry about yourself first!" Magnus looked down at him with such a look that the answer was clearly visible. Alec's anger faltered. "So, how are you still here...?"

"I think... The barrier I put around you was not exactly, erm, tight-knitted. And I'm sorry about that, because I don't think it did such a good job since we both got knocked out. Usually a barrier only fixes on one person, but when I put it up, I had about a half second to make sure you wouldn't get killed in the blast and I think when we joined hands, that barrier spread onto me. I think." Magnus looked contemplative for a moment before he shrugged. "Whatever. It worked."

"You are too nonchalant about this," Alec muttered, pulling out of the hug only slightly.

"At the moment, I didn't care as long as I put a barrier on you."

Alec flinched. "Don't say stuff like that..."

"But it's true. You are my top priority."

He bit his lip slightly, torn between being happy or upset. There was a little flutter that had been caused by Magnus' words, a flutter that had gone straight to his heart and made him warm all over. At the same time, Magnus' top priority should have been Magnus himself, but Alec couldn't bring himself to say it. He just pressed his lips to Magnus' warm ones. The kiss lasted for a little bit, but then Magnus pulled away.

"Alec, we have to go, I hear sirens. I didn't do so well at masking the explosion, so... Well, _I _don't need to be caught here."

Half annoyed, Alec nodded and staggered to his feet, swaying slightly. The world felt topsy-turvy.

"Oh, woah," Magnus emitted under his breath, and Alec knew he had felt the same. "I really should have made a better barrier."

"At least we didn't disintegrate. Which, I'm assuming, is what happened to the Tokoloshe," he added, heading for the door.

"Tokoloshe? That thing was a Tokoloshe?"

Alec glanced back, frowning. "Yeah? You've heard of them?"

Magnus nodded. "Mmhmm. They're known for sneaking up on people in the middle of the night. They're generally controlled by someone else as a means to haunt a person, but the old myths say that they either bit off sleeping people's toes or raped women just for fun. I didn't know they were real, though."

"Oh, that's... pleasant," Alec muttered, rubbing the back as his head as they stepped outside. "Wait, where the hell _are_ we?"

"Australia. No wait, that's not right. Hmmm... I forgot." Magnus laughed just then, and upon having his own hand seized, Alec was dragged down the street.

* * *

><p><strong>Happy endings! No, it's not over yet, but the fight's over and the danger is gone. Chapter Seventeen will be the last Chapter for this story [:(] so be prepared.<strong>

**Now. All you guys who haven't been reviewing! REVIEW! Please~ If you have it on an alert, or if you don't, if you hate it or love it so far, lemme know. I'll be pushing the review prompt again next chapter, as these are the last two chapters. My regulars, I love you. :) To the people who read, but don't review, I'm taking the time to write, you (could?) take the time to review, please.**

**Grateful for your continued support. Until next chapter!**


	17. Desire

"You know, I've never spent so much time worrying over something as much as I do you," Magnus murmured, nuzzling his nose into Alec's neck. Alec responded with a slight shiver- the warlock's nose was cold, for an odd reason, and awkwardly wrapped his arms around him.

"I know. I'm sorry."

"Silly Nephilim... Silly, silly Alexander..." Magnus murmured, kissing the skin on the Shadowhunter's neck.

Alexander only smiled briefly, running his fingers through Magnus' carefully spiked hair. "Is it so silly to love you the way that I do?"

The warlock made a noise that sounded like half of a laugh, half of a snort. "Not in the slightest, Alexander. Not at all."

Alec sighed quietly, content. They'd gotten back through the Portal and back to Magnus' bedroom without incident, and while Alec had the feeling that _someone_ would eventually question them about the whole thing, he couldn't care right now. He was safely encompassed in the warlock's arms and that's really all that mattered.

Magnus' lips moved expertly along Alec's collarbone and he shivered just the slightest bit. He heard Magnus laugh again, only softly, and continue with the kissing.

Alec turned, catching Magnus' lips in a soft and gentle kiss.

**XoXoXoX**

When they had finally managed to pull themselves away from snuggling, Alec had made an immediate beeline for the kitchen. Magnus had been amused to find the Shadowhunter's stomach had been growling incessantly (part of the reason they decided to break away) and Magnus had muttered, sleepily, something about bacon being in the fridge. Apparently, Alec had found that that had sounded absolutely _wonderful_, and so, had pulled himself away with a hasty apology. Oh well. Magnus was pretending to be half asleep anyway.

Pretending, because he wasn't the slightest bit tired. He was anxious. There was the thin line between _anxious _and _panicked_, and he was merely anxious. There was nothing to be panicking about now. Well. Maybe...

No! He would not think about that!

Once Alec had left the room, Magnus rolled over, burying his face into the pillow. He was content to lay there all night and canoodle with Alexander, and even if it was past midnight (really, where _had _the day gone? Oh, _Titanic_, how did thee snatch our time?) he wasn't quite ready to go to sleep. Granted, he didn't really feel like moving, either, so it was almost a lose-lose situation now that Alexander had gone to get a late night snack.

With a muffled groan, he pulled his face away from the pillow and sat up, running his fingers through his hair. What a mess he looked, he reckoned as he stared into the full length mirror on the open closet door. His hair was completely wilted- the spikes were gone, he hadn't even gotten highlights in the mess today, and even the glitter that always seemed to linger appeared to have diminished. Under a normal circumstance, he would have said that it would have never done, but right now, he found the prospect of fixing it far too boring. Boring, boring... That word sounded strange in his mind.

Alas, things wouldn't be boring for long. Magnus had quite planned _that_ much out, and maybe that's why he didn't give a lick about his hair. There were much more interesting topics to be touched upon- and again, Magnus fought back that anxious feeling.

"I am the magnificent Magnus Bane. I don't see why I'm so worked up about this," he stated aloud, as if that made the statement a truth.

"Worked up over what?"

He nearly jumped as Alexander wandered back into the room, a plate of bacon balanced precariously on his hand. In his other was a mug of, what Magnus could only assume to be, coffee. He watched the Shadowhunter place the coffee mug down on the nightstand, taking his seat on the bed afterward. On a sudden whim, Magnus stole a piece of bacon.

"Hey!"

He chuckled, nibbling on it as he watched the blue eyes of the Shadowhunter glare at him. "I could always nibble on you," he allowed, unblinking. This made Alec blush and only turn back his plate. _Seriously_, he was too damn cute when he blushed. How could have he not noticed this before?

He shifted his position in an attempt to get more comfortable (although there were uncomfortable problems he just couldn't fix by shifting his weight), and looked to the window afterwards.

**XoXoXoX**

"It's a nice night," Alec murmured, having caught his boyfriend staring out the window. And it really was; the sky was clear and there was Darkness as far as the eye could see, but it was punctured and penetrated by the ever-guiding light of the stars. Alec was happy, really happy, even if he looked back on today's events. It could have been terrible, and for one, devastating moment, it had been. But the clouds had cleared, the rain had moved on, and the skies were clear once again.

Alec could only see positive outlooks on the future right now.

He felt movement on the bed and looked back to Magnus, a little disgruntled because he was moving about so much. He did not expect what he found.

**XoXoXoX**

Do you know how terribly hard it is to get on one knee in a _bed_? Magnus did not. Consequently, he was just lucky enough to hold onto the ring and _not_ fall flat on his face.

**XoXoXoX**

"Magnus!" Alec choked, deviating from trying to not let his plate fall over and having a hand over his mouth. "W-What are you doing?"

"Oh, Alexander, why do you ask obvious questions?"

The Shadowhunter felt the blush creeping up his neck, spreading across his cheeks. Positive outlooks on the future were _not_ marriage! Okay, so, well, maybe it _was_ included in that category, but that hadn't been what he expected at all!

"Alexander Gideon Lightwood, overlooking the fact that I have absolutely no permission from your parents or no knowledge on your plans for the future, would you do the kindness of marrying me?"

Alec, frankly, had forgotten how to talk and was more open-mouthed gaping at the moment. Magnus was grinning, superficially, and there was only the slightest bit of nervousness playing under that catlike smirk that was the norm.

"B-But... Magnus... you... why..." He took a breath, continuing meekly with: "... I mean, I have no objections..."

The smirk on Magnus' face grew larger, a full blown grin now. "So, is that a 'yes'? It is, isn't it!"

His enthusiasm... Alec found himself smiling, despite embarrassment, and despite shock, and despite the butterflies, and despite every other little thing he was feeling right now. "Yes, it's a yes."

"Yes!" Magnus voiced in a tone that stated he'd done something very pleasing, which, in all entirety, he had. Alec nervously watched as the ring was slipped onto his finger; he admired it for a moment before the warlock's lips were pressed in a kiss against his cheek. "I was really hoping you'd say that."

* * *

><p><strong>IMPORTANT- This author's note is important to read if you enjoyed this story- IMPORTANT<strong>

**I've got a few things to say, so bear with me here. **

**First off, I hope I wasn't too cliche here, but I so loved the ending. I had it planned for a long time now, and re-incorporating "Hoping you'd say that" into the text was utter happiness for me. So, I hope the impossibilities (?) and cliche-ness doesn't bother you. If it does, well, I'm sorry.**

**Secondly, reviews, my lovelies. This is my first story that will (most likely) hit 100 reviews. I'm so thankful! Arigato! Now, I just have to ask, everyone, EVERYONE (even the people without accounts) please go review now. Final thoughts and all, I'd much appreciate it.**

**Thirdly, I'm sad it's over. :( But... and this is the important part...**

**THERE IS A... sequel. :) Potentionally a multi-chapter, although I'm not at this point. Right now, I have a oneshot planned, but may be able to make it multi-chapter. If you enjoyed HYST, add me to your Author Alert, or just stay tuned. I have no idea what the title will be yet, and it's still obviously a work of progress in my mind, but I hope I'll see some of my followers immersed in the sequel when it gets put online.**

**And as for my thoughts about the end of Hoping You'd Say That, I'm immensely grateful. You guys have no idea how nice it is to know that people like my story. You all are special people. Thank you for the time you have taken to read and respond (and read this author's note).**

**- Bane**


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